Candea
by MissLindaLee
Summary: The Kent family gets two more additions, Linda starts school, things heat up, and Linda deals with a crisis that threatens her and other students of Smallville High. Fifth story in the Angelica Corusca series.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Candea  
  
AUTHOR: Miss Linda Lee  
  
RATING: PG-13 (for violence)  
  
GENRE: Future Fic  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story takes place in a futuristic world, where Clark is 26 and living in Metropolis. Also, I'm going back to Clark landing on Earth when he was 3 years old, so he was a Freshman when he was 15 (like the show), but Linda will be 15 when she's a Sophomore (Grade 10). This story will also be following the timeline that happened if the events in 'Reentry' had taken place - i.e., Jonathan WILL NOT DIE!!!! Also, FC said that 'feedback is like air,' so please let me breathe!  
  
SPOILERS: Fourth in the Angelica Corusca series; please read 'Reentry,' 'Excelsior,' 'Terrae,' and 'Gnatho' before coming to this one.  
  
DISCLAIMERS: I own none of the characters! Yadda, yadda!  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda stood on her tiptoes and reached up as far as she could to dust the top of the mantle in the living room. She was just millimeters from her goal, and she growled, frustrated, when she couldn't reach it; she hated being short. She sighed and threw her dust rag across the room. Martha was walking in with a plate of fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. She noticed the rag sailing towards her; she balanced the plate in one hand and caught the rag with her other hand.  
  
"You're going to use the hands on approach when it comes to dusting?" Martha asked, wryly.  
  
Linda winced. "Sorry, Mom."  
  
"It's okay, sweetie," Martha smiled. "Why don't you take a break and have some cookies?" The two walked over to the couch and sat down. Martha put the plate on the coffee table, and Linda grabbed three; Martha smiled wryly. "Eat slowly this time, please." Linda smiled and slowly ate one of the cookies, holding the others in her free hand.  
  
"So, is my punishment going to be over today?" Linda asked around a mouthful of food. "It's been forever."  
  
"It only seems that way because you're young," Martha replied. "Trust me, the older you get, the more it will fly by." She looked at her daughter. "But it has been a few weeks and school is starting in a few days, so I'll talk with your father, and we'll see what he says."  
  
As if on cue, the front door opened and Jonathan walked in. He was grinning as he held a medium-sized cardboard box in his hands. "Hello?" he said as he closed the door with his foot, then he spotted his ladies in the living room; he walked in. "Hey, you two."  
  
"You're in a good mood," Martha replied, getting to her feet, smiling as she walked over to his husband and kissed him.  
  
"Well, the deliveries went well," Jonathan replied. "And I have a surprise - two, actually." He caught Linda staring at the box. "And no peeking, Linda."  
  
"What's in the box?" Linda asked, looking curious.  
  
Still grinning, Jonathan walked into the kitchen with Martha and Linda close behind, and he put the box on the table. "Well, even though they're actually surprises that will be for all of us," he said, "Linda, they're going to belong to you. You've shown enough responsibility over the past few weeks that I know you can handle this."   
  
"Oh, Jonathan," Martha replied, "just get on with it." She was just as curious as Linda about Jonathan's mystery.   
  
Jonathan took a deep breath and opened the box; he pulled out a tiny kitten. It was a pale orange - almost a cream color - and looked a little undernourished. It looked up at Linda with blue eyes and gave a small mewl.  
  
"Oh, it's a kitty," Linda gushed, her eyes wide with delight. She giggled a bit as Jonathan handed the kitten to her. She held it up, staring at it, mouth opened, smiling, then she cradled the tiny animal in her arms.  
  
"A kitten?" Martha asked, staring at her husband, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Not just a kitten," Jonathan replied. He reached back into the box and pulled out a tiny, stark white puppy. It was shaking and whimpering in Jonathan's hands and looked just as undernourished as the kitten.  
  
"A puppy!" Linda squealed softly. She reached out with a free hand, and Jonathan gave her the puppy.  
  
"The puppy's a boy, and the kitten's a girl," Jonathan said. Linda held both of the animals in her arms and gushed over them as Martha pulled her husband aside.  
  
"Jonathan, where did you get them?" she asked.  
  
"I was driving down Route 15," Jonathan answered, "and they were in the middle of the road; I nearly hit them. I couldn't just leave them there, so I took them to the animal shelter; they were completely full and couldn't take any more animals in. Martha, I couldn't just get rid of them, so I took them to Dr. Shultz and had them checked out. They were a little malnourished but otherwise in perfect health; Dr. Shultz couldn't keep them, and I knew you'd been talking about getting a dog and cat anyways, so I got them vaccinated and then got them some food and few supplies; they're in the truck still."  
  
Martha sighed. "Jonathan, you think Linda is ready to have pets?"  
  
"Yes, I do. She's become very responsible since her punishment started; I know she can handle this." He smiled. "Besides, we're a haven for strays, so I couldn't resist." He was glad Martha smiled. "I know I should have called you, but I wanted this to be a surprise for you too."  
  
"It worked," Martha replied. She glanced over at Linda gushing at the two animals and sighed. "Well, I don't see any harm." She smiled, and then she and Jonathan walked back over to their daughter.  
  
"I have a name for the puppy," Linda said proudly. "Krypto."  
  
Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows. "Krypto?"  
  
Linda nodded. "He shakes a lot, and I'm afraid if I let him go he'll shake himself apart." The two Kents laughed.  
  
"And the kitten?" Martha asked.  
  
The little kitten jumped from Linda's hand and bolted for the bay window in the living room. Everyone watched as she sat on the sill and stared out the window before mewling and pawing the window; then she licked the pane before jumping back down and running back into the kitchen. She skittered on the hardwood and went sliding at Linda's feet; she looked up and mewled, her blue eyes wide. Everyone laughed.  
  
"Well, she's barely been here only a few minutes," Martha said, eyeing the window, "and she's already leaving more streaks than Windex."  
  
"Streaks," Linda said softly, thinking. Her eyes went wide and she grinned. "That's it!"  
  
"What?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Streaky," Linda answered. "I'll call her Streaky." Still holding Krypto, she reached down and picked up the tiny kitten, cradling her new pets in her arms. "May I show them my room?"  
  
"Go on, sweetie," Jonathan smiled. He and Martha watched as Linda headed up the kitchen stairs, softly talking to her new friends, reassuring them that they were safe and had a new home.  
  
(End of Chapter 1) 


	2. Chapter 2

- - - -  
  
Linda was sitting on her bed, cross-legged, with Krypto in her lap. The young girl's voice and manner had caused the puppy to stop trembling and stare up at the young girl, his brown eyes wide. Streaky was already exploring the room, making sure that everything was sniffed and pawed.  
  
"Now," Linda said to the puppy in a small, reassuring voice, "I know right now things are a bit overwhelming; I was the same way when I first came here, but they made it easier. They took care of me, just like I'm going to take care of you." Streaky jumped up on the bed and fixed the young girl with curious gaze. Linda smiled. "You too, Streaky." The young girl went back to playing gently with her new friends when there was a knock on her bedroom door.  
  
"Come in," Linda said. She looked over as the door opened and Jonathan and Martha came in.  
  
"And how are they settling in?" Jonathan asked, smiling.  
  
"So far, so good," Linda replied.  
  
"Linda, your mother and I have something we want to talk to you about," Jonathan said. He came over and sat on the bed while Martha stood next to him. Streaky came over and nuzzled against the farmer; Jonathan chuckled and scratched the kitten behind her ears.  
  
"Am I in trouble again?" Linda asked worriedly.  
  
"No," Jonathan replied. "In fact, we want to let you know that we've talked about it, and as of now, your punishment is officially over."  
  
Linda's eyes widened. "Really?"  
  
"Really," Martha said, smiling.  
  
"Just as long as you've learned your lesson," Jonathan added.  
  
"I have," Linda replied.  
  
"And what did you learn?" Martha asked.  
  
"That if someone offers to hotwire my father's truck," Linda answered, "not to agree to it."  
  
Jonathan nodded. "And?"  
  
"There's an 'and?'" Linda asked.  
  
"Yes, there's an 'and,'" Martha replied.  
  
"And . . . even if Clark contacts me for help," Linda said slowly, "I need to tell you about it."  
  
"And?" Jonathan prompted.  
  
Linda looked a little confused. "There's another one?" Jonathan gave her a look; she sighed. "Okay, okay." She thought for a moment. "And sneaking out of the house is a very bad thing." Jonathan and Martha looked pleased. "That it?"  
  
"That's it, sweetie," Jonathan said. He patted her knee and kissed her forehead before standing up. "That being said, I'm going to get some work done in the fields."  
  
"And I have to do some work in the garden," Martha replied.  
  
"Well, since I'm not being punished anymore," Linda said, "can I use the phone and call Clark? I want to tell him about Krypto and Streaky." Jonathan and Martha looked at each other, then they both nodded at their daughter.  
  
"Of course," Martha replied. "Just don't be too long. You're starting school day after tomorrow, and there's still a lot of stuff we all need to take care of." Linda grinned as her parents headed out of her room. She turned, grabbed the phone off her nightstand, and dialed Clark's work number. It rang once . . . twice . . . thr -  
  
"Daily Planet, Clark Kent's desk," a familiar voice answered.  
  
Linda was startled, but she smiled. "Hi, Jimmy," she said.  
  
"Oh, hey, Linda," Jimmy replied. "How's it going?"  
  
"Well, my punishment's finally over," Linda said. "How about you?"  
  
"Got a couple more days," Jimmy replied. "Chief's still riding me, and Bibbo's making me work extra hours at his place, and then Mom's making sure I have chores lined up when I get home." He paused, then he smiled slightly. "It's good to hear your voice again, Linda."  
  
"Same here," Linda replied. They hadn't talked or seen each other since Linda's punishment started a month ago, and it was nice to be able to talk to someone closer to her own age.  
  
Jimmy grinned goofily, but he quickly caught himself; he had made a promise to Clark, and he was going to keep that promise - as much as it hurt. His grin faded, and he cleared his throat. "So, uh, what's up?"  
  
"Is Clark around?" Linda asked.  
  
"Actually, he's in a meeting right now," Jimmy answered. "He's going to be in there for a while."  
  
"Oh," Linda said, disappointed.  
  
Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows. "Everything okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I just want to tell him I got two pets today," Linda replied glumly.  
  
"Wow, really?" Jimmy asked. "That's cool. I've always wanted a pet. What did you get?"  
  
Linda grinned, instantly forgetting her disappointment about not being able to talk to Clark. "Well, I got a kitten and a puppy," she said.  
  
"Two pets, huh?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"Yep," Linda answered. "The puppy's white, and I named him Krypto, and the kitten's a pale orange, and I named her Streaky."  
  
"Krypto?" Jimmy asked. "Like in 'Krypton?'"  
  
"Well," Linda replied, "I guess you could say that when he first saw me he gave me a look like 'What planet did you come from?' And since my parents know Superman, it was the first planet that came to mind." She braced herself, hoping Jimmy would buy the lame excuse.  
  
Jimmy chuckled. Promise or no promise, he found Linda to be a very fun person to talk to, with an interesting sense of humor. He sat down in Clark's chair and started straightening the stuff on his friend's desk; he figured he had at least a good ten minutes before Clark came back, and the young photographer was going to make the most of it. "So," he said, "tell me more about your new pets, Linda."  
  
Linda smiled, relieved that Jimmy had bought her excuse and a little sad that she couldn't come out and tell him the truth. She made a mental note to ask her parents about why Jimmy couldn't know, but for the time being she just wanted to talk to her friend. She settled back against her pillows, letting Krypto and Streaky crawl all over her as she continued talking with Jimmy.  
  
- - - -  
  
Clark left the conference room and headed back to his desk, whistling an old Beatles tune. He stopped when he saw Jimmy sitting at his desk, straightening a few things. The reporter stopped and tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows.  
  
"Uh, Jimmy?" he said slowly. "Can I help you with something?"  
  
"Just straightening some stuff, Clark," Jimmy replied. He got up, looking a little nervous.  
  
"Uh huh," Clark said. He noticed something scribbled on a post-it note on his monitor. "What's the message?" He stopped when he saw his desk. "Uh, Jimmy is something different about my desk?" he asked slowly.  
  
"Yeah," Jimmy said with the subdued eagerness of someone who needed to prove he was useful. "I, uh, I sorta straightened your desk, you know, did a little filing, put your messages in order . . . oh, and some of your case notes were falling off the desk and getting mixed up, so I put them in their files. And Carl will be up soon with some paperclips since you're almost out. And, uh, someone ordered you split pea soup for lunch by mistake - I had them take it back and get you a BLT on wheat . . . ." He looked a little uncertain. "Uh, is that all okay?"  
  
Clark smiled and said, "That's great, Jimmy, and thanks for remembering about the soup and the sandwich." He sat at his desk, and Jimmy went to stand on the other side of the desk. Clark glanced at the note and read Jimmy's handwriting: Linda called. "So, what did Linda want?" he asked, pulling the post-it note off his monitor.  
  
"Oh," Jimmy replied, "her punishment's over, and she got two new pets."  
  
"Really?" Clark asked. "Please don't tell me they once inhabited a circus."  
  
"Nah, just a kitten and a puppy."  
  
Clark looked a little surprised. "Oh? Wow. Has she named them yet?"  
  
"Yeah, the dog is Krypto, and the cat is Streaky."  
  
Clark's eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead. "K-krypto? As in Krypton??"  
  
"Sort of," Jimmy replied.  
  
"And why would she name the dog Krypto?"  
  
Jimmy shrugged. "Oh, well, the 'official' explanation is that when the puppy first saw her he gave her a look like 'What planet are *you* from' and Krypton was the first one that came to mind, so she named the dog Krypto as a joke." He glanced around, then leaned toward Clark conspiratorially. "Between you and me, though, since I can trust you with this information, she said that when your dad first handed him to her, she held him real close to her face, and, well . . . she said his breath smelled just like Superman's, but that for some reason your parents refused to let her call him Superdog, so she settled on Krypto."  
  
Clark looked vaguely nauseated, and his voice was thin and slightly strangled when he said, "I see . . . and Streaky?"  
  
"Oh, the cat? I'm not sure, really, but she said your mom had something to do with naming Streaky."   
  
"Oh, she did?" Clark asked. He was curious and scared at the same time, but he tried to put on a calm demeanor. He could just hear Han Solo in his head, saying, "I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
Jimmy nodded. Yeah, Linda said your mom was muttering something about you being loose in the garden, waving your tail around." The teenager shrugged again. "It was interesting." Clark looked like his eyes were about to pop out and hit his glasses as he stared at his friend. He really wasn't sure whether to be defensive or amused, so he settled for trying to look matter-of-fact. Jimmy didn't seem to notice it as he glanced at his wristwatch. "Well, I gotta go run a few errands. See you later, Clark." He started to leave, but Clark stopped him.  
  
"So, you two have a . . . nice . . . conversation?" Clark asked, recovering his wits.  
  
"Well, yeah," Jimmy said slowly, "and I tried to stay busy, but I guess I shouldn't have messed with your desk."  
  
Clark saw the dejected expression on his friend's face. "Jimmy, I do appreciate it," he replied sincerely. "You've been a great help this past month. And not just to me, but to Lois and Chloe and Perry."  
  
"Yeah, right," Jimmy said. "Getting coffee and picking up dry cleaning . . . big help." He left, heading for the elevators. Clark watched the young photographer leave and felt a little bad. Part of him wanted to go after him, but he remembered the note in his hand and what Jimmy had said Linda said about the pets. The reporter glanced at the phone on his desk, debating whether to call home or fly to Smallville that evening and have a little chat with his baby cousin; he had perfected his telepathic skills over the past month and was tempted to just 'talk' with her right then and there, but he decided his physical presence would make more of an impact on the young girl; it didn't take him long to reach his decision.  
  
(End of Chapter 2) 


	3. Chapter 3

- - - -  
  
It was early evening, and Linda was busy mucking the stall while Krypto and Streaky explored nearby when a large figured loomed behind her; the pets were the only ones who noticed. Streaky sat near the loft stairs and watched curiously as Krytpo cautiously padded over on knobby legs. He sniffed the leg, then looked up; trying to act big and brave, he let out a tiny bark; he was so startled that he skittered back to Linda, hiding between her legs, shaking. Still Linda noticed the little animal at her feet and put her pitchfork aside; smiling, she bent down and picked up her puppy.  
  
"Scared yourself, huh?" she asked.  
  
"So that's the infamous Krypto."  
  
Linda turned around and saw Clark standing nearby. He was dressed in plaid, jeans, and work boots, and he looked somewhat amused. She grinned and came over, hugging her cousin around the waist with one arm while holding Krypto in her other. Clark smiled and hugged her back.  
  
"Hi," she said.  
  
"Hey, yourself, Short Stack," Clark said.   
  
"Don't call me that," Linda smiled, pulling away. "So, I guess Jimmy gave you my message."  
  
"Yeah," Clark replied. He looked around. "So, where's the other half of the dynamic duo?" He looked around and finally spotted the young kitten watching him curiously from her perch on the stairs. Clark raised an eyebrow at the kitten's expression - it was a bit creepy. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked back at Linda.  
  
"So, did you come here to see them?" Linda asked as she put Krypto down and went back to her mucking. "Or did you miss me?" She shot a brief, girlish grin up at her cousin.  
  
Clark chuckled. "Actually, we need to have a little talk," he said. Linda glanced over and saw his expression had changed; he didn't look completely upset, but he didn't look that cheerful either. Linda's smile faded.  
  
"What is it?" she asked.  
  
"House," he said. "Now."  
  
Linda knew better than to say anything when he was like that, so she just put aside her pitchfork. She picked up Krypto and Streaky and headed for the house with Clark behind her; the two headed up the porch and walked in through the kitchen door. Martha and Jonathan were in the kitchen, preparing dinner. They looked up as their children walked in, smiling.  
  
"Hey, son," Jonathan said, smiling. "What are you doing out here? Everything okay?"  
  
"I don't know," Clark replied. "Did you know that Linda and Jimmy talked today?"  
  
"I was calling, you, Clark," Linda said as the animals squirmed in her arms. "I had permission; I didn't know you weren't going to be at your desk."  
  
"Clark, she did have our permission," Martha replied. "You were in a meeting, and we didn't say she couldn't talk to Jimmy."  
  
"Do you know what they talked about?" Clark asked.  
  
"About Krypto and Streaky," Jonathan answered.  
  
"Then you know what she told Jimmy about where she came up with their names," Clark said.  
  
"We were there when she named them, Clark," Martha said. "Linda named the puppy Krypto because of how he shook, but she told Jimmy she thought up the name because the puppy looked at her like she was from another planet, and since we're friends with Superman, Krypton was the first planet that came to mind."  
  
"And Streaky?" Clark asked.  
  
"Oh, she licked the window," Jonathan answered, "and she left a streak."  
  
"Oh, really?" Clark said slowly, looking down at Linda. "That's not what Jimmy told me."   
  
"What is it, son?" Jonathan asked, glancing back and forth between Clark and Linda, wondering if his kids were going to have their first argument.  
  
"Well, apparently, there are conflicting stories," Clark replied, folding his arms and shifting into reporter mode as he stared at Linda, who looked confused and curious at the same time. "I'll tell you what I heard from Jimmy, and maybe we can figure out what the truth actually is."  
  
"What are you talking about, Clark?" Martha asked.  
  
"Jimmy told me that Linda told him that when Dad first handed Krypto to her, she held him real close to her face, and, well . . . she said his breath smelled just like Superman's, but that for some reason you refused to let her call him Superdog, so she settled on Krypto."  
  
Jonathan and Martha's eyes widened as they looked at Linda. The young girl looked surprised, but they couldn't gauge if it was from actual shock or just from the fact that she had been caught.  
  
"It gets better," Clark continued. "Jimmy also said that you, Mom, had a hand in naming Streaky, because you were muttering something about me being loose in the garden, waving my tail around."   
  
Martha put her hand over her mouth and bent forward slightly as she tried to contain a snort. Jonathan and Clark looked at her seriously. "I'm sorry, honey," she said to Clark. "It's the mental picture. I do remember that, you know . . . ."  
  
"Linda," Jonathan said seriously as he looked at his daughter, "how did you know about that? Did you scan your mother's mind?"   
  
"No," the young girl replied, slightly frustrated. "We've already discussed that. I would never scan another person's mind without permission unless it was a dire emergency. I don't do that - ever."  
  
"Then how did Jimmy know all that stuff?" Linda opened her mouth, but she promptly closed it. Jonathan sighed. "Linda, if you have something to say, then say it. What did you tell Jimmy?"  
  
"I plead the Fifth Amendment," Linda replied, "on the grounds that I might incriminate myself." She headed up the kitchen stairs with her pets still in her arms. The adults were stunned into silence.  
  
"Mom," Clark said after a few moments.  
  
"Yes, Clark?"  
  
"You gotta make her stop watching 'The People's Court." He sighed. "Okay, so what do we do?"  
  
"We need to find out if Jimmy knows anything," Jonathan replied. "He's a smart kid."  
  
"Well, I could just ask him," Clark replied wryly. "'Hey, Jimmy, do you have any reason to believe that I'm Superman? No? Okay, good, I'll see you later.'" He saw the look his father gave him. "What?"  
  
"Sarcasm not appreciated," Jonathan said.  
  
"Sorry," Clark apologized, "but there's no way we can talk to Jimmy without him suspecting anything. Like you said, he's a smart kid; we do anything to arouse his suspicions, we might be planting ideas in his head that aren't even there." He sighed. "And then there's Linda."  
  
"What about Linda?" Martha asked.  
  
"We need to know what Linda actually told Jimmy," Clark answered. "But I don't think we'll be getting information out of her now."  
  
"She's testing us, Clark," Jonathan said. "Trying to see how far she can take this." He looked at his son wryly. "Just like her cousin used to do."  
  
"I was not this bad," Clark said.  
  
"No, you were worse," Jonathan said, smiling.   
  
Clark rolled his eyes. "Funny. So, what do we do? I can scan her mind and see if she said anything."  
  
"Clark, first and foremost," Jonathan replied, "we don't allow Linda to do it to anyone, and just because you're older than her it doesn't give you the right to do it to her. We don't need her getting ideas that just because a person's older, it gives them the right to go against the rules that were set for them. Secondly, Linda's a better telepath than you, son, so, you probably won't be able to find out anything before she puts up a mental block."  
  
"So, what do we do?" Clark asked. "Just wait and see?"  
  
"Exactly," Martha replied. "Linda's just as stubborn as both of you, but I don't think she'll keep up her little charade for long."  
  
"And what about Jimmy?" Clark asked. "What if he does know about me?"  
  
"We'll wait and see," Martha replied. "That's about all we can do. In all honesty, though, I don't think we have anything to really worry about."  
  
"Why do you say that?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Because I don't think Jimmy knows; Linda might have said a few things, but I doubt she'd give away anything that would endanger our secret. Besides, if he did know, then wouldn't he have said something by now?"  
  
Clark nodded. His mother had a point. Jimmy was trustworthy, but he wasn't very good at undercover work. Clark was starting to think that one had to have the genes for that sort of thing - he knew he got his from both of his parents, but Jimmy wasn't a Kent, and his mother was smart but she was no detective. Clark nodded to himself, satisfied. His own mother was the wisest woman he knew, and if she wasn't worried, he didn't need to be, either. His secret was safe.  
  
(End of Chapter 3) 


	4. Chapter 4

- - - -  
  
Linda lay on her back on her bed, holding Krypto above her, pretending to make him fly; he has this expression on his face that said 'I don't know what you're doing to me, but it's kind of nice and I trust you,' while Streaky lay curled up on the pillow near her head, purring softly. There was a soft knock on the bedroom door.  
  
"Who is it?" Linda asked, not taking her eyes off her 'flying' puppy.  
  
The door opened and Clark walked in, holding a tray in his hands. There were two plates of food and two cans of Pepsi on it. "Can I come in?" he asked. "I come with a peace offering."  
  
Linda stopped flying the young puppy and looked over. She sized up the 'offering' and then looked at her cousin. His expression seemed harmless, but she wasn't about to let her guard down - not just yet. She looked back up at Krypto and started making faces at him.  
  
Clark sighed, trying not to be upset at what she was doing; he had been a teenager once, and it was a little reassuring to see her starting to act like a 'normal' teenager, though that was something he'd never say out loud - especially to their parents. "Look," he said, "about what happened downstairs -"  
  
"Why would you think I'd tell anyone about our secret?" Linda interrupted. She looked over, her expression half hurt and half angry. "And why did Dad accuse me of using my powers inappropriately? Doesn't he trust me?"  
  
"Linda, it's not that."  
  
Linda sat up and put Krypto on the floor; he scampered over to his little squeaky ball in the far corner and started playing with it. "Then what is it?" she asked. "And while we're on the subject, what would be so wrong if Jimmy *did* know?"  
  
"Linda, it's complicated," Clark said.  
  
"How?" Linda asked. "What's so complicated about this? Chloe and Pete know."  
  
"They're older," Clark said.  
  
"So are Lois and Mr. White," Linda countered. "How come they don't know? What makes them - and Jimmy - so different?"  
  
Clark sighed. He didn't want to have this conversation with her; she hadn't been around long enough to know that things weren't as black and white as she might think they were. He came in and shut the door behind him with his foot. He walked over and sat beside his cousin.  
  
"Linda, just trust me on this, okay?" he said. "We have reasons for what we do."  
  
"Do I have to like them?" the young girl asked.  
  
"No, but you do have to respect them," Clark continued. "Now, Mom and Dad said we could eat up here; it's been awhile since we've really spent some time together." He gave her a smile, and he was pleased she slowly returned the smile. He looked at the plates. "Now, Mom and Dad made your favorite." Linda glanced down and saw the plates were each piled with three hotdogs in buns (with lots of ketchup on Linda's) and a heaping helping of macaroni and cheese; the young girl grinned, and Clark chuckled, then he groaned.  
  
"What's wrong?" Linda asked.  
  
"I forgot the forks," Clark answered. He sighed. "Hold on."  
  
"Wait," Linda said. She stared at the plates and some of the macaroni on Clark's plate floated up. She smiled at her cousin. "Open up."  
  
Clark couldn't help but laugh, and he opened his mouth; the macaroni floated in, and Clark happily chewed away while Linda floated one of her hotdogs up and grabbed it, eating it. "So, we're okay?" he asked after he swallowed. Linda nodded. "I'm glad; I don't like being upset with you."  
  
"Me neither," Linda replied. "Or with Mom and Dad."  
  
"I'm sure they'd like to know that," Clark said. "But for now . . . I have you all to myself." He grinned.  
  
"What?" Linda asked, warily.  
  
"You're starting school day after tomorrow," Clark replied. "Thought we could talk about what to expect, among other things."  
  
"Cool," Linda said. Her hotdog floated down and settled back on her plate as she turned to her cousin. Resting her elbows on her knees, she put her chin on her hands, and Clark saw her eyes dance with a curious sparkle he found absolutely adorable. He took a deep breath and smiled, trying to sort through all the stuff he knew she needed to know about.  
  
- - - -  
  
The next day passed rather quickly. The Kent trio made ample use of every minute by doing chores and housework, and running errands; Linda also spent the time learning what housetraining a puppy entailed, something she wasn't too thrilled with while Jonathan and Martha tried to calm their nerves about sending their alien daughter into the real world the next day. They knew it was inevitable, and they weren't about to stop it from happening, but they couldn't help but worry. Day quickly turned into night, and night quickly turned into morning.  
  
Linda awoke bright and early, two hours before her alarm clock was supposed to go off; she smiled as she quietly got out of bed, careful not to disturb Krypto and Streaky as they lay at the foot of her bed, curled up and sleeping soundly. The young girl quickly got dressed in her work clothes and carefully tiptoed out the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. It was still dark outside, and there were no lights on, but Linda could still make out the silhouette of Jonathan sitting at his place at the kitchen table, dressed for another hard day of working, drinking his morning coffee in silence.  
  
Jonathan took a sip from his mug, and he appeared to be shutting the whole world out as he stared out the windows into the inky blackness of the early morning world, but he wasn't startled when he heard the familiar creak from the staircase. He just simply smiled.  
  
"Good morning, sweetie," he said. Linda was a bit startled, but she didn't say anything. "Why don't you join me?" Linda hesitated for a few moments, but she quietly walked over and took the seat next to her father. Jonathan smiled warmly at her. "Now, why are you up at this hour? You should be upstairs sleeping."  
  
"I wanted to help with the chores," Linda said.  
  
"Linda, we talked about that last night," Jonathan replied gently. "It's your first day of school; it's going to be a busy day, and you'll need all the rest you can get."  
  
"I know," Linda said, "but I just couldn't sleep anymore. I'm a little nervous." She looked a little embarrassed.  
  
Jonathan chuckled a little and scooted his chair back a little. He held out his hand to his daughter. Linda smiled, got up from her chair, and climbed into her father's lap. Jonathan put his arms around her and held her tightly, cradling her slightly.  
  
"You're going to be just fine, Linda," he said, his voice soft and reassuring.  
  
"What if they don't like me?" Linda asked. "What if they all hate me?"  
  
"They will love you," Jonathan answered. "You're smart, you're funny, and you have this wonderfully bubbly personality." He twanged her nose slight. "And you are so adorable."  
  
"Dad," Linda replied, smiling and rolling her eyes.  
  
"What?" Jonathan asked innocently with a grin.  
  
"Nothing," Linda answered, a bit tired. She yawned and leaned her head again her father's shoulder. Jonathan started rubbing her back as the young girl tried fighting the sleep that was overtaking her.  
  
"Don't fight it," Jonathan whispered in her ear. "Just rest, sweetie. Just rest."  
  
Linda tried keeping her eyes open, but Jonathan's backrubs were so cathartic; she yawned once more and closed her eyes. In a matter of minutes, she was fast asleep. Jonathan still rubbed her back in small circles and didn't care that the sun was slowly peeking over the horizon; he rested his head on hers and just held her, rocking his little girl as she slept.  
  
- - - -  
  
Jonathan drove the red truck up to the side of Smallville High School and stopped. Martha was sitting next to him, and Linda was on the other side of Martha. The young girl was dressed in a royal blue tailor cut blouse with three-quarters sleeves and mother of pearl buttons, black pants that fit snugly but not tightly, and black flats. Her hair was pulled back with a black headband, and she wore a light hint of makeup. She stared out the passenger window at the crowd of kids - people her own age - streaming into the school building, and she was scared and in awe at the same time.  
  
"Linda?" Martha asked. The young girl pried herself from the window and looked at her mother. "You have everything you need? Your notebooks and all your supplies?"  
  
Linda nodded and held up her purple backpack. "Yep. They're all here."  
  
"How about your lunch money?" Jonathan asked.  
  
Linda patted the small zippered pocket on the front of her pack. "Right here." She looked up and saw her parents looked just as nervous as she felt. She took a deep breath. "Well . . . I guess this is it." Jonathan and Martha both forced smiles, but they couldn't suppress the worry they were feeling as they watched Linda climb out of the cab.  
  
"Linda?" Martha said. The young girl turned around. "If you have any problems, you can call us." Linda nodded and turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, and Linda?" Jonathan asked.   
  
The young girl stopped and looked inside the truck. "Yes, Dad?"  
  
"Make it a good day, and remember that we love you," he replied, smiling.  
  
Linda smiled and closed the truck door. She watched as the truck drove off and disappear around the corner, then she turned and looked at the building and the students . . . and the large yellow banner over the front doors with the words 'Welcome Back, Crows!' in big red letters. She took a deep breath and tossed her backpack onto her shoulders; taking another deep breath, she made her way up the stairs into the building with the rest of the students.  
  
(End of Chapter 4) 


	5. Chapter 5

- - - -  
  
The hallways looked so different the last time Linda was at the school. They were quiet, not crowded. That peace gave Linda a chance to see the banners and posters on the walls, the colorful lockers, the hard floor. It was a whole new world now that there were actual living, breathing students walking them, talking in small groups, shouting and laughing, talking and heading off to their classes.  
  
Linda looked around uneasily, not sure what to do, feeling the way she felt when she first arrived on Earth - scared and out of place. Her stomach started knotting up as she racked her brain, trying to decide what to do. Part of her wanted to stay, to suck it up and show her parents and Clark that she was a big girl and could do this; the other part of her wanted to bolt and go back and hide under her soft, warm covers.  
  
"Kara Kent?"  
  
Linda looked over as a boy her age approached her. He was dressed in a yellow t-shirt, faded jeans, and sneakers. His blue backpack was slung over one shoulder; his hair was red, he had a small splash of freckles across his nose, and his blue eyes held nothing but warmth as he smiled at the young girl.  
  
"Who are you?" Linda asked warily.  
  
"I'm Dick Malverne," he said, holding out his hand. Linda looked at it then back up at Dick. "Mrs. Jefferson assigned me to be your roadmap for the day."  
  
"Okay," Linda replied. She reached out and shook the offered hand. "And, actually, I prefer to be called Linda."  
  
"Prefer the middle name over the first one, huh?" Dick asked. Linda nodded. "Alright. So, Linda how are you liking Smallville High so far?"  
  
"It's crowded," Linda admitted. "How do you all find your ways around here?"  
  
Dick chuckled. "Very carefully, actually. Now, it's almost time for first period, and we both have the same Biology class, so let's get going." Linda followed Dick as he maneuvered his way through the students and walked down the hall; he headed into one room and Linda followed him, stopping just inside the room and standing off to one side. She looked around nervously as she watched students enter behind her and take seats at the various lab tables; a student wheeled an old projector towards the middle of the classroom.   
  
Dick made it to his seat and looked back; he saw Linda standing near the door, looking out of place and nervous. He put his pack down and walked over to her. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know if I can do this," Linda replied.  
  
"Trust me," Dick said, "lots of home schooled kids feel the same way on their first day; they manage just fine." She looked unsure, and he gave his best 'you can't argue with me' grin. "Come on; trust me."  
  
Linda hesitated, but she nodded and followed Dick to his seat. She took the chair next to his and sat down. She reached into her bag and pulled out a spiral notebook and a pen, then she put her pack on the floor near her feet. She sat, drumming her pen lightly, trying not to fidget as the bell rang, signaling the start of class.   
  
The front door of the classroom swung open, and the students looked over as their teacher walked in. He was in his early thirties and tall but not too tall, wearing jeans, a white shirt with a tan sports jacket over it, and tan loafers. His hair was dark brown, his eyes were blue, and he smiled warmly as he put his briefcase on his desk.  
  
"Good morning, class," he said. "My name is Mr. Harper Collins. Welcome back to school, and welcome to your first day of Biology." He walked around to the front of his desk and leaned against it, resting his hands on the edge. "Now, I'm sure that all of you have heard the horror stories of the film we're about to see, and I'm here to set the record straight: they're all true." All the students laughed but Linda; she furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head slightly, confused.  
  
"That being said," Mr. Collins continued, "let's get the suffering started." There was some groaning in the class as the teacher walked back to the back of the class, dimmed the lights, and started the projector. Everyone watched the screen as the film started.  
  
"All members of the animal kingdom," the narrator stated, "from the simplest one-celled organism to the most complex of mammals, engage in reproduction. This insures that each individual creature can pass on its genetic information to future generations. Animals rely on a variety of courtship methods . . . ."  
  
Linda turned her head and glanced at Dick; he looked uncomfortable as he looked at her and smiled apologetically. Linda looked around and saw the other students looked as uncomfortable as Dick looked, and the young woman was confused. She leaned over toward Dick.  
  
"Why does everyone look like they're about ready to die?" she whispered.  
  
"Because we are," Dick whispered back. "This is *not* the way to be starting off the school year."  
  
"I don't understand," Linda whispered. "What is so wrong about this?"  
  
Dick stared at her for a few seconds. "You've got to be joking me," he said. "You're not at all weirded out by this?"  
  
"I'm weirded out by you," Linda replied. "But I'm not squirming over you."  
  
"Hey." Linda and Dick turned around and saw Mr. Collins leaning over between them, whispering softly. "Pay attention to the film, you two."  
  
"Mr. Collins," Linda whispered, "may I ask what the significance of us watching this film is?"  
  
"The significance is that you will be having a test over this material after the film is over," Mr. Collins replied. "Now, pay attention." He left the two students, not noticing that Linda's eyes had grown five times their normal size; Dick saw her terrified expression.  
  
"You okay?" he asked.  
  
"Test?" she whispered. "Did he say test?"  
  
"Yeah," Dick answered, "but don't sweat it." He noticed the beads of sweat forming on Linda's forehead. "Too late." He turned back to the film.  
  
Linda could feel her heart rate and breathing increase as her head started burning right behind her eyes. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes, hoping to get rid of the pain, but it only seemed to make it worse. As she faced the front, her eyes started glowing slightly - and two wavy heat waves shot from her eyes and onto the projector screen in splotches. The screen caught fire, as other students got up in a panic.  
  
"Okay, everybody walk, do not run!" Mr. Collins said. "Leave your books. Let's go!"  
  
Linda remained seated, watching the screen in horror, knowing she was responsible for it. Dick headed for the door, but he stopped and looked back, seeing Linda still in her seat. He hurried back and grabbed her arm.  
  
"Come on, Linda, let's go," he said, pulling her towards the classroom door. Linda quickly put her glasses back on as tears welled up in her eyes.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda sat alone on a bench far enough from the school so she wouldn't have to be around the other students or firefighters. Her legs were curled under her and she rocked slowly as tears fell down her cheeks; she kept her eyes looking down at the ground, just in case the heat vision kicked in again. She didn't see Dick as he approached her, followed by five other people - two girls and three guys.  
  
"Linda?" Dick asked. The young girl didn't look up. "Linda, I have some friends I want you to meet."  
  
"Please go away," Linda whispered.  
  
"Hey, the fire's over," Dick said, sitting next to her. "No one was hurt." He gave her a wry smile. "Just think; you'll remember your first day of school for the rest of your life." He chuckled, but she didn't even crack a smile. He sighed, then looked up as Pete came walking up. "Sheriff Ross."  
  
"Would you guys mind if I had a few words with Miss Kent?" he asked. "Oh, Mr. Malverne, one of my deputies wants to get your statement." The six students left, leaving Pete and Linda alone; the sheriff sat next to the young girl. "You okay, Linda?"  
  
"Not really," Linda whispered. "I caused the fire."  
  
"Yeah, I figured that when I got the call," Pete replied, "but it's okay."  
  
"How is it okay?" Linda asked.  
  
"It happened to Clark when he was in Biology," Pete replied. He chuckled. "He was even watching the same film too; we both were." He put his arm around her when he saw how upset she looked. "You want to go home and talk to your folks?"  
  
"Is that okay?" she asked. "Won't they be mad if I come home early?"   
  
"All things considered," Pete replied, "I don't think they'll mind." He helped the young girl to her feet and led her to his squad car; he let her sit in the front passenger seat. Dick glanced over from the deputy he was talking to as Pete got in the driver's side and watched as the car drove off.  
  
(End of Chapter 5) 


	6. Chapter 6

- - - -  
  
The sky was a pristine blue, and there were no clouds in site as the sun beat down its warmth on the earth. Martha hummed an old Cole Porter song, picking green beans in the garden, while Jonathan was out in the fields, spreading manure with the tractor as the cows munched lazily on the grass. She tried to keep her thoughts from drifting to Linda, but she couldn't help it; her daughter was out in the real world all by herself for the first time since arriving on Earth, and as much faith as she had in Linda's ability to take care of herself, it didn't stop Martha from worrying - just like she still worried about Clark, and he was a full grown man. Martha didn't have to wonder if Jonathan felt the same way; he had always been fiercely protective of his family, and that was one of the many aspects of him that hadn't changed over the years.  
  
Martha was just getting back to thinking about the green beans again when she heard the sound of a car approaching. She looked up and saw Pete's patrol car approaching. She was all smiles as Pete parked beside the blue truck, but the smile disappeared when she saw Linda in the passenger's seat, looking very upset. She put down the basket and hurried out of the garden as Pete got out of the car  
  
"What happened?" Martha asked, glancing at Linda. "Is she okay?"  
  
"Yeah, Linda's fine," Pete reassured her, "but there was . . . an incident at school."  
  
"Pete, what happened?" Martha asked.  
  
"Well," Pete said slowly, "Linda's heat vision kicked in."  
  
Martha's eyes widened. "During school?" Pete nodded, and Martha glanced over at Linda, feeling sorry for her little girl but dreading the next question she was going to ask. "During Biology?"   
  
"It was even during the same film," Pete replied, looking a bit uncomfortable himself.  
  
Martha had figured that she and Jonathan would have to wait another year before Linda's heat vision emerged - along with the coinciding topic matter they would have to discuss, but she should have known better than to assume that things with Linda - namely her emerging powers - would happen like they had Clark.  
  
"She was pretty shaken up about this," Pete continued, "so I thought it best to bring her home."  
  
"Thanks, Pete," Martha replied. "I'll take her inside. Why don't you go get Jonathan and let him know what's going on? He's in the fields." Pete nodded and headed towards the fields while Martha went to the passenger's side of Pete's car to get her daughter.  
  
- - - -  
  
Jonathan ran as fast as he could up the porch steps and into the house as Pete's car drove down the gravel drive. He hurried into the living room, where Martha was sitting next to Linda on the couch; the young girl was curled up and laying on her side, her eyes closed, her glasses on the coffee table. Krypto and Streaky were sitting on the floor, near the couch, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"Pete told me what happened," Jonathan said softly, looking at his daughter. "Are you okay, sweetie?"  
  
"I nearly burn down the school on my first day because I have heat shooting from my eyes, and I can't control it," Linda said softly, keeping her eyes shut. "How do you think I feel?"  
  
Jonathan carefully helped his daughter into a sitting position and sat down next to her. "Honey, it's going to be okay. Clark has the same problem; he got through it just fine, and so will you." He put his arm around her shoulders and tried not to look too uncomfortable. "Now, since we already know the, um, the circumstances surrounding how your new power came in, let's go outside and work on getting it under control, okay?"  
  
"What about Clark?" Linda asked quietly.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," Martha said. "We'll let him know what's going on."  
  
"No, I mean, shouldn't he be the one helping me?"  
  
"Hey, give your old man some credit," Jonathan replied, smiling. "Just because I don't have heat vision doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about it." His smile disappeared when he saw Linda still had her eyes closed. "Linda, you can open your eyes; it's okay, sweetie."  
  
"But I don't want to hurt you," Linda said.  
  
"You won't," Jonathan replied. "Now, please open you eyes." He watched as the young girl carefully opened her eyes. Nothing happened, not even the orange glow that accompanied the heat vision; her eyes remained their normally intense blue. Jonathan smiled. "There; that's my girl." He helped Linda to her feet and stood up with his wife; the trio headed for the kitchen. "Now, let's get to work; don't need you missing too much school already, eh?"  
  
A look of panic crossed Linda's face as she stopped dead in her tracks. She could feel burning pain building up behind her eyes as her entire body grew hot. Her face contorted into pain and she grabbed the sides of her head, shouting out. Martha and Jonathan looked over in alarm as sweat started beading up on Linda's forehead. They hurried over as Linda opened her eyes; they glowed fiery orange a split second before sending out a spurt of two heat beams - one from each eye. The beams hit the wall, and flames were soon fanning out from the point of impact. Linda and Martha stared in horror as Jonathan hurried into the kitchen and retrieved the fire extinguisher from its place. He quickly put the fire out, then sighed with relief as he turned around; Linda looked near tears. Jonathan put the extinguisher down and walked to her. "Linda, it's okay."  
  
"No, it's not okay," Linda said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I nearly burned the house down."  
  
"Linda, it's all part of learning how to control your powers," Martha said. "You can't be too hard on yourself when you make mistakes."  
  
"But what if I had hurt you or Dad?" Linda asked. "I wouldn't stop hating myself if that happened." She shook her head. "I . . . I can't stay here anymore . . . ." She blurred past her parents and out the kitchen door. Martha and Jonathan hurried out to the porch and looked around, but Linda was already long gone.  
  
- - - -  
  
Clark was sitting at his desk, typing a story, when Lois came walking up. Clark glanced up at her and noticed she was smiling; it was a rare event, so Clark immediately dropped what he was doing and focused on her.  
  
"You're in good spirits today," he said.  
  
"It was the strangest thing," Lois replied. "I get this flower email greeting - and it's from your address."  
  
"Really?" Clark pretended to look shocked; Lois laughed, and Clark grinned. "So, I take it you liked?"  
  
Lois nodded. "Yeah, thanks."  
  
Clark grinned even wider. He knew he probably shouldn't be rushing things with Lois, but he couldn't help himself; she had captured his heart from the moment he lay eyes on her, and she wasn't letting go any time soon. He was grateful that their partnership had progressed to friendship and then to semi-dating, but he wanted more, and he was willing to risk it to go for it as he took a deep breath.  
  
"Uh, Lois," he said slowly. "Uh, you want to out tonight to a movie or something?"  
  
"As in a date?" Lois asked, folding her arms, raising an eyebrow as she eyed him warily.  
  
"Yeah," Clark answered.  
  
Lois suddenly grinned. "Sure." She couldn't believe how she was falling for the farmboy from Hicksville, but there was just something about him . . . something she hadn't been able to really see during her two-year infatuation with Superman. She was still surprised she had taken Perry's advice/order to heart and listened to him (it was such a rare occasion for her), but she was grateful she had . . . not that she'd ever say that out loud to anyone.  
  
"Great," Clark smiled. "I'll, um, figure out if anything good's playing and get back to you." Lois nodded and left; Clark watched her for a few moments, then he leaned back in his chair, smiling.  
  
"You know, that's the second date this week," Chloe said as she walked up, smiling. Clark eyed her. "Come on, Clark, don't give me that 'were you eavesdropping?' look, okay?"  
  
Clark grinned. "It's okay, Chlo. And, yes, we're going out again for the second time this week." He reached for his phone after the first ring. "Clark Kent." He smiled. "Oh, hey, Mom, how's -" He stopped and listened, and Chloe watched as his eyebrows furrowed and his expression changed to worry. "What? When?" He listened, then he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'll get on it right away." He hung up.  
  
"What's wrong?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Linda's world just got a little hotter, if you get my drift," Clark answered, giving Chloe a look. Chloe immediately cracked the code and nodded. "It happened during school, and Pete took her home, and Mom and Dad were trying to help her, and she burned the wall and got so scared she bolted."  
  
"Well, don't worry," Chloe said. "I'll cover for you again."  
  
"Thanks," Clark replied. He started to leave but stopped. "Oh, and make it better than the last excuse, please."  
  
Chloe grinned; she didn't think there had been anything wrong with tell Perry and Lois that Clark was going to the post office to pick up his 'Cheese of the Month' shipment; Clark had, and had to actually purchase a year's subscription to keep his cover. Chloe thought it was funny seeing Clark lug those uber huge wheels of different varieties around, since Clark had put his work address on the mailing list.  
  
"I'll do my best," Chloe smiled as Clark headed for the stairs.  
  
(End of Chapter 6) 


	7. Chapter 7

- - - -  
  
Superman soared through the clouds high above Smallville, trying to keep as low a profile as possible as he searched for his cousin. He had tried contacting Linda telepathically, but she had put up some form of mental block, so the hero had to resort to the more old- fashioned method of plain old looking around. He sighed as he searched the area, zooming in on any area that he thought Linda might be, but he couldn't find any sign of her.   
  
Superman was in the process of turning around to make another visual sweep when his superhearing picked up the sounds of familiar crying. He quickly turned and flew off in the direction the sound came from; he landed in a forest clearing about three miles north of Smallville and looked around. He stopped when he saw Linda sitting on the ground next to a tall tree. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and she was crying, her head down. The hero quietly changed into his civilian clothes, and the reporter slowly approached his cousin and sat down beside her. He didn't say a word as he put an arm around her shoulders. The young girl flinched as her head shot up and she looked over.  
  
"Hey," Clark said quietly.  
  
Linda turned away, wiping her eyes. "Go away," she whispered.  
  
"Can't do that," Clark replied. "Gotta take you home."  
  
Linda shook her head. "I'm not going back there anymore."  
  
"Why not?" Clark asked.  
  
"Because I don't belong there," the young girl answered, keeping her eyes closed and her head turned from her cousin. "Just like I don't belong in school or with anyone."  
  
Clark asked, "Because of your heat vision?" Linda nodded. "I know what you mean, Linda. I felt the exact same way when I first got it, but after I got it under control I -"  
  
"I'm *never* going to get it under control," Linda interrupted. "I nearly burned the school down, and then I nearly burned down the house." She started crying fresh tears. "What if someone had gotten hurt . . . because of me?"  
  
"But no one did," Clark said.  
  
"But what if, huh?" Linda asked. She sighed and pounded a fist against the ground, leaving a deep hole at the site of impact. "I don't want my powers anymore; I want them to just go away!"  
  
Clark felt his heart clench as he pulled Linda close and just held her, letting her cry onto his shoulder. "I know it's hard, Linda," he said quietly, "and there are still times when I feel the same way, but things aren't that simple. We can't give up when things go bad; we just have to work through these things. I went through the exact same problem when my heat vision first emerged. I learned how to control it, and so will you."  
  
"But what if I can't?" Linda asked.  
  
"You will," Clark replied. He tilted her chin up. "Now, can you do me a favor and open your eyes? I like seeing your baby blues." Linda hesitated, but she slowly opened her eyes; Clark smiled. "There we go." He cleared his throat nervously. "Now, you want to tell me what happened the first time your power emerged? I need to know everything - what was going on in the class and your thoughts too."  
  
Linda sighed and pursed her lips. "Well," she said slowly, "I was in Biology with Dick, and we were watching a video on animal and human reproduction, and -"  
  
"Dick?" Clark interrupted, looking curious and protective at the same time. "Who is Dick?"  
  
"He was assigned to show me around school," Linda replied. "And he had Biology with me, so we sat next to each other and watched the film together."  
  
Clark nodded. "Okay," he said slowly. "Do you . . . do you have any . . . um, feelings for him?"  
  
"What do you mean feelings?" Linda asked.  
  
"Well," Clark replied, trying not to look nervous, "do you . . . do you like him?"  
  
"Yes, I do," Linda said, nodding. "He's very nice, though I think he's a little weird; I think the entire class is weird."  
  
Clark furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, they were all squirming as we watched the film," Linda explained. "I don't know why. I mean, I thought it was rather interesting. It was about something I know nothing about." She sighed and shook her head a bit. "But then Mr. Collins said we had to take a test." She looked like she wanted to cry. "I didn't know we had to take a test, Clark! I wasn't ready for a test!" Suddenly, she grabbed the sides of her head and shouted out in pain. Her eyes glowed fiery orange, and then beams shot from her eyes. They didn't ease up as they had during the other times; the heat beams were constantly streaming from her eyes and hitting the trees in the forest, scorching them and setting them on fire.   
  
"Make it stop!" Linda shouted.  
  
"Close your eyes!" Clark said.  
  
"I can't! Clark, help me, please!"  
  
Clark swiftly got to his feet and scooped Linda into his arms. He rocketed skyward at an incredible speed, stopping when they were almost thirty-thousand feet above the ground. "Look up!" Clark instructed. "Trust me!" Linda looked above her, and the heat beams shot further into the sky. Clark just held her and waited, and after almost a minute the beams started fizzling until they completely stopped. He looked down at Linda, and saw she looked drained.  
  
"You okay?" Clark asked softly. Linda opened her mouth, but she couldn't say anything as tears welled up in her eyes and she wrapped her arms around Clark's neck; she cried into his shoulder as he held her tight. "Come on. Let's get you back on the ground." He started descending back towards the forest.  
  
- - - -  
  
It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon as Martha sat on a stool at the island. Jonathan paced the length of the kitchen. They had tried to distract themselves by repairing the damage to the wall from Linda's heat vision, but it didn't take them long to finish, and they had nothing else to do to keep them busy.  
  
"We should be out there," Jonathan said, frustrated.  
  
"Jonathan, we have to stay calm and trust Clark," Martha said.  
  
"I know, Martha, but you saw how scared she looked when she ran out of here," Jonathan replied. He stopped and sighed. "I just . . . ." He didn't get a chance to finish his thought as the kitchen door opened and Clark walked in; Linda was walking behind him, and she held his hand, looking tired and a little nervous but not scared. Both the adults rushed from their places and hurried to their daughter, pouncing on her with hugs.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness," Martha said, holding her daughter tightly, smoothing hair from her face. "Are you okay, sweetie?" Linda nodded, and Martha hugged the young girl again.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"I'm fine," Linda replied quietly. She rubbed her eyes. "I'm a little tired."  
  
"Come on," Martha said. "Let's get you upstairs and to your room."  
  
"What about school?" Linda asked.  
  
"Don't worry about that," Martha said. She led the young girl up the stairs.  
  
"How is she really, Clark?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"She's fine," Clark said. "A little tired, but the good thing is that she has her heat vision under control. It took over four hours, but she's got a handle on it now."  
  
Jonathan nodded, then he looked at his son cautiously. "So, uh, I take it you figured out how her power was being triggered?"  
  
"Yeah," Clark replied. "And it's not because of . . . you know . . . sex." He knew he had nothing to be embarrassed by, but he still blushed at the word. It wasn't just because he was talking to his father about that; it was the thought of associating that subject with his baby cousin. Thankfully, that wasn't the case with her as it had been with him when his heat vision emerged.  
  
"Are you sure?" Jonathan asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "I'm mean, I'm very relieved it's not from her thinking about . . . you know, but are you positive?"  
  
"Positive," Clark answered. "We talked, and she told me that the first time it happened right after her biology teacher told her they were going to have a test over the film - about stuff she didn't know anything about. Then she freaked when you mentioned her going back to school after getting her power under control, and that's when she had her second burst of heat vision. And then when we were talking after I found her, she started talking about the test and freaked out again, and she had another burst of heat vision."  
  
"So, every time she got scared of something, her heat vision would come in?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Yeah," Clark answered. "And it makes sense: she was taught that being less than perfect meant being a screw-up, and now she's here she wants to prove that she's not one."  
  
"We don't expect her to be perfect, Clark," Jonathan said. "We just want her to do her best."  
  
"And I told her that," Clark said. "She's trying to accept that, but I think it's going to take time for it to actually sink in."  
  
"Well, the important thing is that she's safe," Jonathan replied. "And that she has control over the heat vision." He took a deep breath. "Now, we get to have a long talk about running away."  
  
"Do you need my help?" Clark asked. "I need to get back to the Planet ASAP."  
  
"Working on a big story, son?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "Actually, I gotta look for movie times." He grinned a bit. "Lois and I are going out again."  
  
Jonathan smiled. "That's the second time this week, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me," Clark replied.  
  
Jonathan chuckled. "Go on, son. I think we can handle this now." Clark nodded and turned to leave, but Jonathan stopped him. "And thanks for bringing her back to us."   
  
"No problem," Clark smiled.  
  
Jonathan watched his son head out of the house, then he turned and headed up the stairs. He smiled as he heard the familiar whooshing sound then made his way to his daughter's room.  
  
(End of Chapter 7) 


	8. Chapter 8

- - - -  
  
Jonathan walked into Linda's room and saw Linda and Martha sitting on Linda's bed. He stopped just inside the door and watched as Martha talked softly to their daughter, smoothing hair from her face. Krypto and Streaky were on the bed, laying next to the young girl, and Jonathan couldn't help but smile a bit at the domestic scene, but it was only for a moment. They had some serious talking to do. He cleared his throat, and both his girls looked over.  
  
"How are you feeling, Linda?" he asked.  
  
"Better," Linda replied.  
  
"Good," Jonathan said as he walked over and sat on the other side of his daughter. "We're glad that you're feeling better and that you have your heat vision under control, but we need to talk about what you did."  
  
Linda shrank a bit. "What did I do?" she asked quietly.  
  
"You ran away," Jonathan answered.  
  
"But I didn't want to hurt you or Mom," Linda said softly.  
  
"I know," Jonathan replied, "but you don't go running away, Linda. Running away doesn't solve anything."  
  
"But it did," Linda innocently replied. "Clark helped me figure out how to control my heat vision."  
  
"Yes, but Clark had to leave work in order to do that," Martha said. "And you worried all of us, because we didn't know where you were or if you were hurt." She cupped Linda's cheeks in her hands. "Sweetie, we're not mad at you, but we want you to know that your actions have consequences that affect everyone in this family. Do you understand what we're saying?" Linda nodded, and Martha smiled before kissing her cheek. "Good, now, do you have any questions?"  
  
"I bet Clark never ran away, huh?" Linda asked. Jonathan and Martha glanced at each other, trying to decide who would field that question. Jonathan finally nodded.  
  
"Actually," Jonathan replied, "Clark ran away when he was seventeen."  
  
"What happened?" Lind asked.  
  
"Let's just say it was a very bad time for all of us," Jonathan replied. "And Clark felt like his only option was to leave us."  
  
"But what happened?" Linda asked more persistently.  
  
Jonathan smiled and patted her knee before getting to his feet. "Maybe later. Now, I want you to rest up here while your mother and I take care of some chores and let the school know you'll be coming back tomorrow."  
  
"'kay," Linda replied. She lay back on her pillows as Martha got to her feet and kissed the young girl's forehead before leaving with her husband. Linda started playing with Krypto and Streaky as the two animals started wrestling on the bed.  
  
- - - -  
  
Lex walked into Dabney Donovan's lab and saw the eccentric scientist fiddling with something under a high-powered microscope. The businessman sighed softly, annoyed at being called out of an important meeting because Donovan had something for him. If the scientist wasn't in charge of such a delicate matter Lex would have simply called him back, but he knew any interaction between them had to be done in person.  
  
"You called," Lex said, his voice dripping with annoyance.  
  
"I've made an interesting discovery in the project," Donovan said without looking up.  
  
Lex waited a few moments for Donovan to continue, but the scientist remained silent. "And?" Lex asked, frustrated.  
  
Donovan looked up and indicated the microscope. "See for yourself." Lex eyed the scientist for a moment, then he walked over and looked through the lenses. He saw the pink-purple plasma substance that he had given Donovan last month; the molecular structure of the substance was unusual, but there was nothing about it that really stood out as extraordinary.  
  
"Enlighten me, Donovan," Lex said.  
  
Donovan took an electric probe from near the microscope, turned it on, and touched the tip of it to the substance. Electricity flowed from the probe into the substance, and the substance started moving under the microscope. Lex watched as the molecular structure changed. Amazed, the businessman looked up and saw the actual shape of the substance had changed as well - into a small cube.  
  
"What did you do?" Lex asked in awe.  
  
"I was doing experiments on this mysterious substance," Donovan replied, "to see what it could withstand, and I discovered that when electrical stimulations are applied to it . . . well, you can see what happens." He set the probe down. "This discovery changes everything, Lex. This substance - whatever it is - has the potential for unlimited possibilities. Unfortunately, I don't think it will offer any answers to where it came from or if it has any connection to Superman."  
  
"Can it be harnessed?" Lex asked.  
  
"Well, more tests will need to be run, of course," Donovan replied. "I will need more samples."  
  
"You run your tests with that sample," Lex said as he headed for the door.  
  
"But I can't run all the tests I need to with the small sample," Donovan said.  
  
Lex stopped and turned around. "Make do with it," he said, his voice low with a deadly edge. He turned on his heel and walked out of the lab.   
  
Donovan narrowed his eyes, his fists clenched. He felt like slamming his hand against the table, but he didn't want to destroy his equipment. He simply shook his fists and growled, then turned back to his sample. He stared at the plasma cube, then he smirked a little bit; there was nothing he could do at the moment, but one day things would change for him.  
  
He would make sure of it.  
  
- - - -  
  
The next morning Linda walked into the school, feeling a little nervous about being back, but she knew she had a handle on her new power. That made her feel a lot more confidant about getting through the day, but she still felt uneasy about what had happened yesterday, and her guard was up.  
  
"Hey, there you are!" Linda turned around and saw Dick approaching her, smiling. She smiled back. "Thought you weren't coming back after yesterday."  
  
Linda shrugged. "Yeah," she said, "and believe me, it was very hard to come back after what happened yesterday, but I decided to give this place another chance."  
  
"Good," Dick replied. "It's a nice school, and don't worry; there are some days that pass by without a fire emergency." He grinned at his joke, and he was relieved that she laughed a little. "Oh, and you don't have to worry about that test. Mr. Collins cancelled it."  
  
"Any reason why?" Linda asked as they walked down the hall toward their class.  
  
"Something about it not being worth the effort," Dick replied. "Which I can say with one-hundred percent guarantee that everyone in the class is relieved to hear."  
  
"Well, yeah, especially if you know *nothing* about what's going on," Linda added. She glanced over at Dick and saw him giving her the strangest look. "What?"  
  
"Nothing," Dick replied slowly. He shook his head as they headed into Biology class. Yep, he thought as he took his seat and watched as Linda sat next to him. It was going to be an interesting year.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda stared at her tray in disbelief. She knew the contents were supposed to be the Student Special: pizza with sausage, green beans, peaches in syrup, a brownie, and a carton of milk, but Linda knew that was not what she was seeing. The pizza looked like a rectangular piece of cardboard with tomato sauce and fake cheese, and the sausage looked and smelled like black licorice - one of the few candies she *didn't* like. The green beans looked nothing like her mother's, the peaches ditto, and the brownie looked like a slightly overcooked square of chocolate bread with no icing - her mother would always frost her brownies. The milk looked harmless, but the only milk Linda was accustomed too came from a glass bottle, so she wasn't sure what to make of the paper carton next to her plate.  
  
"Hey, Linda!"  
  
Linda looked up and saw Dick waving to her from a table across the cafeteria. Relieved to see a familiar face in the crowd the young girl made her way over to where Dick was and saw he was sitting with five other people. Everyone looked up at her, and Linda suddenly felt shy as she stood at the end of the table.  
  
"Guys, you remember Linda Kent," Dick said. "She's new here."  
  
"Hey, Linda," one of the two girls replied, smiling. "I'm Mattie." She had cocoa-colored skin, dark hair, and dark eyes, and she was dressed stylishly in a green, short-sleeved t-shirt, tight jeans, and sneakers.   
  
Linda nodded. "Hi," she said shyly.  
  
"I'm Cutter," the boy next to Mattie said. He had wavy brown hair, and he wore glasses over his brown eyes; he was dressed in an olive button down shirt, jeans, and old tennis shoes.  
  
The boy next to Cutter nodded and said, "I'm Wally." He had dark curly hair and brown eyes, and he wore a red plaid shirt over a red t-shirt, tan slacks, and tennis shoes.  
  
"Andy," the other girl replied. Her long, dark hair was styled away from her face, and her brown eyes looked up at Linda with curious interest. What struck Linda as interesting was her attire: Andy was dressed completely in black - black t-shirt, black jeans, and black boots.  
  
"I'm Buzz," the last member of the group said. He was taller than the others and well-built, with dark spiky hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in a faded blue t-shirt, faded jeans, and old tennis shoes.  
  
Linda smiled and nodded. "That's an unusual name," she said.  
  
"It's a nickname," Dick said.  
  
"What's your real name?" Linda asked Buzz.  
  
"No one knows," Mattie smirked. "It's a mystery we've come to accept from our resident baseball player."  
  
"You're a baseball player?" Linda said to Buzz.  
  
"Yeah, you like the game?" Buzz asked.  
  
"I've heard of it," Linda replied. The entire group stared up at her. "What?"  
  
"You do know what baseball is, don't you?" Mattie asked.  
  
"A little," Linda replied. "Sports weren't really big where I came from."  
  
"Where did you come from?" Andy asked, smirking a bit. "Outer space?"  
  
Linda's eyes went wide. "How did you know that?" Cutter and Wally snickered, and pretty soon the entire table was laughing.  
  
"Good joke, Linda," Dick chuckled as he shook his head. "Next thing you're going to say you have a spaceship in your house." He scooted over. "Come on, grab a seat."  
  
Actually, it's in the storm cellar, Linda thought wryly as she sat down. She knew they thought she had been joking, but she still felt a little uneasy talking about spaceships and stuff. She could only imagine what her parents would say if they heard her talking about those things. The young girl pretended to be interested in the food on her plate.  
  
"So, how you liking school so far, Linda?" Mattie asked. "Dick told us you were home schooled all your life, so this must be a big change."  
  
"It's different," Linda admitted. "There's a lot of people here, and I've already got homework assignments." She poked her pizza with her fork. "And this can not be what passes for real food around here."  
  
"Believe it," Wally replied as he munched on his brownie. "One thing you gotta remember around here: they cram us with homework and fake food for five days, and we spend two days trying to get it out of our systems."  
  
"So, what do you have homework in?" Dick asked. "I know we have some reading assignments in Bio, but what else?"  
  
"Algebra homework," Linda said as she poked her peaches. "And in Art we've gotten our first assignment."  
  
"What's the assignment?" Cutter asked.  
  
"I have to do a sculpture," Linda replied. "Whatever I want it to be, and it's due in before Thanksgiving . . . whenever that is." She saw everyone staring at her, and realized her slip up. "Uh, holidays weren't a big thing where I come from either."  
  
"Where *do* you come from?" Wally asked.  
  
"Where do *you* come from?" Linda countered.  
  
"Oh, dissed!" Andy grinned. She nodded appreciatively at the new girl. "Good one, Linda." She pointed her fork at Wally. "Serves you right, Wally; this isn't an interview for the Torch."  
  
"You work for the Torch?" Linda asked Wally.  
  
"Cutter and I run it," Wally answered. He looked apologetic. "Sorry about getting personal, Linda."  
  
Linda smiled. "It's okay." She shrugged. "Usually, I'm the one asking the questions. Clark tells me I ask too many questions sometimes." She chuckled and shook her head. "He says I should grow up and be a reporter like him, but I told him no way. I was not going to work at the Daily Planet."  
  
"Clark?" Cutter asked, intrigued. "As in Clark Kent?"  
  
"Yeah, he's my cousin," Linda said.  
  
"Oh, that is so cool," Cutter replied.  
  
Linda nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty cool." The gang looked up as the bell rang, indicating their lunch time was over. Linda quickly stood up and gathered her things. "Well, I gotta run. Thanks for letting me sit with you." The others watched as she hurried past the tables and put her tray on the rack with the other trays before hurrying out of the cafeteria.  
  
"So, what do you guys think of her?" Dick asked.  
  
"Not bad," Andy replied.  
  
"Pretty cool," Buzz said.  
  
"A bit of an oddball," Mattie replied, "but she seems harmless enough." She glanced at Dick and saw him staring dreamily at nothing as the six of them gathered up their things; she smirked. "What do *you* think of her, Dick?"  
  
"She's nice," Dick replied, his cheeks turning pink.  
  
"Someone likes the new girl," Wally teased in a sing-song voice.  
  
"Maybe we should run a special edition of the Torch," Cutter added, grinning.  
  
"Oh, bug off," Dick grumbled, his cheeks red as he left the table. The five watched him leave, then they looked at each other and laughed as they got up to leave.  
  
(End of Chapter 8) 


	9. Chapter 9

- - - -  
  
The rest of the day went smoothly for Linda, even History, which was something she wasn't familiar with yet, but she made a silent promise to herself to study everything she could about her new home as she headed out of the school. She looked from side to side, trying to find where the school buses were located. That morning her parents gave her the decision as to whether she wanted them to pick her up or take the bus home. She had opted for trying the bus, but now she was regretting that choice. She sighed, frustrated.  
  
"Hey, Linda," Mattie said as she walked up to her. "You look lost."  
  
"Oh, hey, Mattie," Linda replied. "I'm looking for the buses."  
  
"They're on the other side of the school," Mattie replied. Linda groaned. "Buzz is taking us to the Talon, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a lift to where you need to go."  
  
"I need to get home," Linda said. "And that's on the other side of town."  
  
"He won't mind," Mattie replied. "Come on." She grabbed Linda's hand and pulled her towards the parking lot.  
  
- - - -  
  
Jonathan stared out the kitchen window, watching and waiting for the school bus. He was getting more fidgety with each passing minute and no sign of the yellow vehicle. Martha sat at the kitchen table, reading the paper, drinking a cup of cider. She glanced up and saw what her husband was doing.  
  
"Jonathan, staring out the window is not going to make the time pass by any faster," she said.  
  
"I'm just worried about her, Martha," Jonathan replied. "Maybe we should have picked her up."  
  
"I know you're worried, but it was her choice. We have to start trusting her."  
  
Jonathan heard a motor outside, and he looked out the window. He didn't see the bus, like he thought he would, but what he saw instead was a large beat up, light blue van. His eyebrows nearly shot off his head when the van parked next to the blue truck and the side door opened, and his daughter hopped out with a bunch of strange kids. He was speechless as they all followed Linda up the walk and porch steps, and he pretended to be looking for something when the kitchen door opened and they all walked in.  
  
"Mom, Dad, I'm home," Linda said, looking around, smiling.  
  
"Hi, sweetie," Martha smiled as she got up from her chair. She walked over and greeted her daughter with a hug. "How was school?"  
  
"Uneventful," Linda replied.  
  
"That's a good thing, right?" Jonathan asked, smiling as he walked over.  
  
"Very good," Linda answered. She hugged her father. "Hi, Dad."  
  
"Hi, sweetheart," Jonathan replied, hugging his daughter. He eyed the six newcomers. "So, did *anything* happen today that you want to tell us about?"  
  
"Well, I learned that cafeteria food isn't really food," Linda replied. "And I also have some Biology and Algebra homework, and in Art we got our first assignment, which I need to get supplies for."  
  
"So, who are you new friends?" Martha asked.  
  
"Oh, uh, guys, these are my parents," Linda said to the group. She smiled at her parents. "Mom, Dad, these are my friends: Dick, Wally, Cutter, Andy, Mattie, and Buzz."  
  
"Well, it's nice to meet all of you," Martha replied, smiling warmly at the group.  
  
"So, is this really a working farm?" Buzz asked as he looked out the kitchen door. "Linda said she lived on a real farm."  
  
"Yeah, this is a real farm," Martha replied.  
  
"We have real cows and everything," Jonathan added jokingly. "And that's a real barn out there too with a real tractor and real farm tools." Martha elbowed him playfully.  
  
Linda shook her head. She loved her parents, but they could be so silly at times, especially her father. "Mom, Dad, Dick and the others wanted to know if I could join them at the Talon for a few hours. I've never been, and I promise I'll be home before dinner." She gave the Kents her best big blue-eyed innocent little girl expression. "Please?"  
  
Martha smiled. It was comforting seeing Linda fit in, but she also knew what Jonathan could be like, especially when it came to people he didn't know. She eyed her husband with a knowing smile and saw him looking hesitant as he looked back at Martha. She nodded to him, giving him a look. He sighed and nodded back, then he turned to Linda and smiled.  
  
"Sure, sweetie," he said. Linda beamed, and Jonathan couldn't help but smile back. He reached into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and removed a ten-dollar bill; he handed it to Linda. "Here, you can even get yourself something if you want."  
  
"Thanks, Dad," Linda replied. She hugged him again, then she hugged Martha. "Thanks, Mom. Oh, can I show everyone the Fortress before we head out?"  
  
"Sure," Martha replied, smiling.  
  
Linda grinned and turned to her friends. "Come on, guys." The seven teens headed out of the house.   
  
"Have a good time!" Martha called out after them.  
  
"And don't forget to be home before dinner!" Jonathan added as the teen hurried to the barn.  
  
"I won't!" Linda shouted as they ran into the barn.  
  
Martha chuckled and shook her head as she glanced up at her husband. "So, what do you think?"  
  
"I think I'm still going to worry," Jonathan replied. He smiled as he put an arm around his wife. "But I'm also going to trust her."  
  
Martha smiled as she kissed her husband's cheek. She knew how stubborn and overprotective Jonathan could be, but he was also a loving father, and he knew when he needed to back off a bit and let his children live their own lives. Martha was glad that, despite the fact he would always worry about Linda like she would, it was comforting that Jonathan was letting her have more freedom and - more importantly - friends, things they both knew she desperately needed.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda was in awe at the interior of the Talon: the bright colors, the decorations, the wonderful smells, the bustling activity. Incredible seemed too weak of a word to describe what she was feeling, but it was the only thing she could think of that came even remotely close.  
  
"Wow," she whispered, smiling at her new friends. "This is a really cool place."  
  
"Yeah, it's pretty impressive," Mattie said as she grabbed Linda's wrist. "Come on." The seven of them walked to the bar. There were two long-haired blonde women behind the counter; Linda could see they were about Clark's age. The woman to Linda's left wore a dark blue blouse, tight jeans, and flat shoes; her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. The woman to Linda's right wore a sleeveless navy cotton tunic, nice khaki cargo pants, and black lace-up boots; her hair hung loose past her shoulders. Both of them smiled at the gang. "Linda, meet Jackie and Hillary. They're the managers of this place. Jackie, Hillary, this is a new friend of ours, Linda Kent. She's new at school and to Smallville as well."  
  
"Well, welcome to Smallville, Linda," Jackie said, smiling warmly. She was the one in the dark blue blouse.  
  
"How do you like everything so far?" Hillary asked.  
  
"Not bad," Linda replied. She looked around. "This is a really nice place."  
  
"Oh, it looks like we got ourselves a newbie," Hillary said. She smirked at Jackie. "You know what that means."  
  
"Oh, boy, here they go again," Andy rolled her eyes, smiling.  
  
"What's going on?" Linda asked worriedly.  
  
Dick leaned over. "Don't worry, Linda, they do this with everyone; it's quick and painless, I promise."  
  
Linda looked like she was ready to bolt for the doors, but she put on a brave face and stayed where she was, waiting and hoping for whatever the two managers had in store for her. She saw the two young women turn their backs on her and busy themselves at the back counter. She was tempted to X-ray to see what they were up to, but she fought the urge. She didn't know what she was expecting, but the last thing she imagined was the two managers setting a *huge* mug in front of her.  
  
"One Chocolate Brownie Frappuccino," Jackie said proudly. "Our best drink. Chocolate brownie pieces in a Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles. The drink choice of Talon newbies."  
  
"Our illustrious Jackie created it," Hillary said. "Though I would have done *without* the whipped cream." Jackie stuck a tongue out at her co-manager, and Hillary smacked her playfully with a towel. Linda raised an eyebrow as the two managers started having a towel fight behind the counter, and Dick grabbed the mug from the table.  
  
"Okay, it's time to go to a table," he said. He guided Linda as the gang headed to a table a safe distance from the counter.  
  
"What about you guys?" Linda asked. "Aren't you going to get anything?"  
  
"When those two get like that," Buzz said, "it's best to let them run with it until they wind down. Oh, and stay out of their way; they're a bit . . . odd together."  
  
"Oh, okay," Linda replied. She leaned over her mug and breathed in the wonderful aroma. "Wow, that smells great." She grabbed the mug and took a big sip. The chocolate tasted so rich and creamy sliding down her throat. She closed her eyes and sighed as she put the mug down, smiling. "Yum-my." She opened her eyes and saw a big dollop of whipped cream on her nose; she stared at it, crossing her eyes.  
  
"Here, let me get that," Dick said, reaching for a napkin from the table's napkin holder. He gently wiped Linda's nose clean. "There." He wadded up the napkin and ignored the smirks he was getting from the others as he cleared his throat. "So, you like the coffee, Linda?"  
  
"Yes, it's very good," Linda replied. "So, now what?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Mattie asked.  
  
"What do you guys do?" Linda asked.  
  
"Well, we hang for a bit," Andy replied, "then we go home."  
  
"Hang?" Linda asked, looking at the ceiling briefly.  
  
"What about you?" Cutter asked. "What was it like being home schooled?"  
  
Linda hesitated. She knew the cover story, because it had been drilled into her mind since she and her parents had set it up with Chloe. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that she was having to lie about her life before Smallville - a life that involved parents who truly loved her; it was something she was still having a hard time pulling off, but she knew she had to do it or people might get suspicious.  
  
"Well," she said slowly, "it was nothing special, really. I was tutored privately at home by a really great person." Not a lie; Rok-Var was one of the greatest men she had ever known.  
  
"Your father?" Mattie asked.  
  
Linda shook her head. "No, but my father hired him to . . . keep an eye on me and tutor me." She smiled sadly. "He taught me a lot of things." She closed her eyes tightly for a brief moment, then smiled brightly. "So, what about you guys?"  
  
"You okay, Linda?" Andy asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine," Linda replied quickly, taking another sip of her drink. She put the drink down and sighed. "Look, I'm usually all for asking questions and stuff, but I'd rather not talk about my life before Smallville. I put it behind me, and that's where I'd to keep it." She glanced up. "But, I know you guys want to know at least something about me, so I'll tell you this for the time being: I'm fifteen-years-old, I live with my adoptive parents, and I have an older cousin who works at the Daily Planet and is like a brother to me. My dad brought home a puppy and a kitten for me a few days back, and I named them Krypto and Streaky, respectively. I love the color purple, hate mustard, love working on the farm, and my favorite thing to eat in the world is anything sweet." She smiled sheepishly. "That's about it." She was relieved that the gang didn't give her any strange looks, like they were actually starting to like her. She grabbed her drink. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what about you guys?"  
  
(End of Chapter 9) 


	10. Chapter 10

- - - -  
  
"So, what are we going to do about it?" Martha asked as she sat with Jonathan at the dinner table. "Linda needs this stuff."  
  
"I know, Martha," Jonathan said, "but do you know how much this stuff is going to come to?" He sighed. "I didn't know art supplies were so expensive. Pottery wheel, brushes, paints, chalks, charcoals, easel, sculpting and modeling clay . . . ." He shook his head. "I don't know if we can afford all these things."  
  
"Jonathan, she really wants to do this," Martha replied. "We can't tell her she can't take this class anymore; it'll break her heart."  
  
"Martha, you know that's the last thing I want to do," Jonathan said, "but I don't see any way around this."  
  
The kitchen door opened, and Linda walked in, her backpack slung over her shoulders. She was smiling brightly. "Mom, Dad, I'm home!" She saw them sitting at the table, and her smile grew.  
  
"Hi, Linda," Martha smiled brightly. As she stood up she shot her husband a look saying not to bring up their dilemma with their daughter. He nodded slightly. "How was the Talon?"  
  
"Great," Linda replied as she put her backpack on one of the island stools. She started talking excitedly as she walked over to the refrigerator and rummaged around. "Everyone is really nice, and the managers are a little weird, but they gave me the drink they give all the newcomers, and it was really good, and I talked with Dick and the others about who they were, and don't worry, I didn't tell anyone about who I really was; I stuck to the story like we talked about, and we had a really good time, and I think I finally have some friends." She looked at her parents, smiling, holding a Granny Smith apple.  
  
Jonathan raised his eyebrows, smiling back at his daughter. Even with her abilities he still wondered how she was able to get all that into one sentence; he felt breathless just trying to comprehend everything she had just said. He wondered for a brief moment if Linda had been affected by the caffeine, even though he knew it wasn't possible.  
  
"We're really happy for you, sweetie," he said. "Now, don't you have some homework to get started on? Or do you want to take care of your chores first?"  
  
Linda pursed her lips, looking like a philosopher contemplating the mysteries of the universe instead of a teenage girl who had to decide whether to do farm chores or homework first. After a few moments she smiled. "Farm chores," she said.  
  
"Any particular reason why?" Martha asked.  
  
"Not a fan of homework," Linda replied. Her parents gave her puzzled expressions. "What?"  
  
"I thought you never had homework before," Martha said.  
  
"I had homework all the time in Argo City," Linda replied. She rolled her eyes. "Being the daughter of Kryptonian nobility, I had *so* much homework that I'd wish there were Snagglebacks there to vaporize it. Especially my sixth dimensional geometry."  
  
"Snaggleback?" Jonathan asked slowly. "Sixth dimensional geometry?" He knew he should have been used to the fact that Linda's presence meant dealing with an entirely different level of language and thinking, but his daughter never seemed to stop coming up with ways to keep him on his toes.  
  
"Oh, sorry," Linda replied sheepishly. "Do you want to stop talking about that stuff?"  
  
"No, honey," Jonathan answered, smiling warmly. "You don't have to stop talking just because we don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, it would be nice knowing more about what your life was like before you came to us - only if you're willing to talk about it, though." Linda grinned. "Now, let's get started with those chores, and you can tell me all about Snagglebacks and sixth dimensional geometry."  
  
Martha didn't know it was possible for Linda to smile even bigger, but her daughter's grin became wider as she scampered over to Jonathan. Martha watched as Jonathan put his arm around his daughter, and the two headed out of the house, then she started puttering around the kitchen, tidying things up. She looked up as she heard the clicking of claws on the hardwood floor and saw Krypto chasing Streaky into the kitchen. She watched as the two scampered around the kitchen then headed up the stairs. Smiling, Martha shook her head and went back to her work.  
  
- - - -  
  
It was early evening when Jonathan and Linda finished their chores and put the cattle up for the night. Martha had prepared one of her delightful meals, and the three Kents sat at the table, enjoying the wonderful food and each other's company while Krypto and Streaky sprawled out under the table. After they finished, they gathered up the dishes and started cleaning up the kitchen. They were in the middle of washing the dishes when there was a knock at the kitchen door. Jonathan went to answer it as Krypto scampered beside him. Dick stood on the other side, his backpack slung over one shoulder.  
  
"Uh, hi," Dick said slowly. "I hope I'm not interrupting." Krypto let out a loud yip, then he scurried away to hide behind Jonathan's feet. He peeked out from behind the farmer and gave a little growl. Dick chuckled a bit. "Hi there, little fella." Jonathan cleared his throat, and Dick looked up. "Oh, uh, sorry, Mr. Kent."  
  
"So, which one are you?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Dick Malverne, sir," Dick answered. "Um, is Linda here?"  
  
"I'm here, Dick," Linda said as she walked up, drying her hands with a towel. "What's up?"  
  
"Oh, uh, hi, Linda," Dick replied, smiling. He shuffled as his cheeks turned pink. "Uh, I was wondering if you've done your homework yet."  
  
"I was about ready to get started on it," Linda said. "Why?"  
  
"Well, I know you had some anxiety yesterday about your classes," Dick answered, "and I was thinking if I helped you with your homework, you might feel better about them." Jonathan slowly looked at Martha, and he could see she was giving him the same look he knew he was giving her: they didn't believe Dick one iota. Martha slowly walked over, trying not to smile.  
  
"What homework do you kids have to work on?" Martha asked.  
  
"Uh, well, Linda said she had some Algebra homework," Dick said, "and we both have a worksheet on Health and Human Development."  
  
"What kind of development?" Jonathan asked, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"Uh, the usual review material from last year," Dick replied. "Just to see what we remember before jumping into this year's stuff." He noticed Jonathan's stern look. "Uh, it shouldn't take us long at all."  
  
"And don't forget my Algebra problems," Linda added. "Which don't look that hard." She looked up at her father. "Is that okay, Dad?"  
  
Jonathan opened his mouth to say no, but Martha shot him a look over Linda's head. He protested with his eyes, but she silently put her foot down. Jonathan sighed, then he smiled brightly at his daughter. "Sure, sweetie," he said. "You and Dick can study - in the living room."  
  
"I left my books in the loft," Linda said. "Can we study there?"  
  
Jonathan sighed. He really wanted to grab Dick and punt him headfirst out the door, but he knew Martha would punt *him* out if he did. He forced himself to smile. "Sure," he replied.  
  
"Thanks, Daddy," Linda replied. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed her father's cheek before grabbing Dick's hand. "Come on, Dick." Linda half dragged Dick down the walk, and Jonathan and Martha watched them disappear into the barn.  
  
"I'm proud of you," Martha said as she wrapped an arm around her husband's waist.  
  
"I don't like him," Jonathan replied.  
  
Martha said, "Oh, Jonathan, give him a chance. He seems like a nice boy."  
  
"He's flirting with our daughter. And how could you let them go into the barn alone together? Remember what happened the last time she went into the barn alone with a guy?"  
  
"Yes, I'm well aware of what happened," Martha replied, "but we have to start trusting her."  
  
"Oh, her I trust," Jonathan said. "It's him I don't."  
  
Martha shook her head, smiling. "Jonathan, I know he likes her; it was written practically all over his face, but until he gives us any reason not to trust him, let them be, okay?"  
  
"Do I have to like it?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"No, you don't have to like it," Martha said, "but you can help me finish the dishes." She smirked as she walked back to the sink. Jonathan looked down at Krypto, and the dog looked back up at him, his eyes wide as his tail thumped on the floor. Jonathan smiled and chuckled as he leaned over and picked up the tiny puppy. He scratched the young canine's head before putting him back on the floor and heading over to help his wife. Krypto's tail thumped loudly as he started over towards Jonathan, but then Streaky jumped up from her spot under the table and scurried out of the room. The young puppy gave a tiny yip before scampering after the cat. Jonathan and Martha watched them disappear into the living room, then they looked at each other and smiled as they continued washing the dishes.  
  
(End of Chapter 10) 


	11. Chapter 11

- - - -  
  
Clark reached into the popcorn container and grabbed a handful, stuffing it into his mouth. He munched on it as he glanced over at Lois. She was watching the screen intently, and Clark found himself mesmerized by how the lights from the screen danced on her face. Lois looked over and saw Clark looking at her.  
  
"What?" she whispered.  
  
"Nothing," Clark whispered back, hoping Lois wouldn't see him blush as he turned back to watch the movie. He didn't see the odd expression Lois gave him before she went back to watching the movie. A few minutes passed, then Clark's superhearing picked up the sounds of sirens. He grimaced slightly; the last thing he wanted to do was leave Lois during their date, but he knew he couldn't ignore a crisis.  
  
"Uh, I have to go to the bathroom," Clark whispered as he quickly got to his feet. He quickly hurried out, leaving Lois looking bewildered. Clark hurried through the lobby and made his way to the back exit door without being noticed. In the alley he looked around to make sure he was alone before he ripped open his shirt, revealing the large red S of his costume. In seconds Superman flew up into the Metropolis sky, heading towards the disaster, praying it wouldn't take him too long so he could return to his date with Lois.  
  
- - - -  
  
" . . . and then, uh, that takes us to where we are now," Dick said slowly and uncomfortably. "Puberty." He glanced over at Linda, and he was surprised she was listening, totally interested in what he was saying. "Okay, what is with you?"  
  
"What?" Linda asked.  
  
"You're not wigging out by any of this," Dick said. "Why?"  
  
"Should I be? I mean, honestly, what is the big deal about this stuff? Are we not supposed to talk about it?"  
  
Dick sighed and rubbed his face. He didn't know what was going on with Linda, but he knew it was partly his fault for coming over and offering to study with her; his only regret was working on their Biology homework together, and that was something he was going to fix very quickly.  
  
"Forget it," he said. "Do you understand it? That's the question."  
  
Linda nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's not rocket science. Anyone with any knowledge of chemistry would understand how proteins and amino acids can affect an organism over their lifespan."  
  
Dick sighed. She was really cute and everything, but she was acting very, very weird. He didn't even bother remarking on her . . . response. He quickly put away his Biology book. "Okay, let's get to work on that Algebra." He yawned. "Hoh, excuse me."  
  
"You look tired," Linda said. "Why don't you go on and get home? I can handle Algebra on my own."  
  
"You sure?" Dick asked.   
  
Linda nodded and leaned over, kissing Dick's cheek. "Thanks for the help, Dick."  
  
Dick's eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead as he grinned. "Uh, it was my pleasure," he said slowly. Still grinning, he grabbed his backpack and headed for the loft stairs. He turned around and smiled at Linda, giving a small wave. He didn't watch where he was going, and he missed the first step. He stumbled down a few feet before he managed to grab the wooden rail, righting himself. He chuckled and grinned sheepishly at the young girl before hurrying down the steps and heading out the barn.  
  
Linda raised an eyebrow, a little amused by Dick's behavior, and she made a mental note to ask her parents about it. She took a deep breath and grabbed her Algebra book, some paper, and a pencil. She flipped to her homework assignment - the first thirty problems at the end of Chapter One - and flipped into light speed as she worked the problems out. It took her only three seconds to complete them all. When she was finished, she put her books in her bag and tidied up the loft before heading down the steps to go back to the house.  
  
- - - -  
  
Jonathan and Martha were tiding up the kitchen while Linda was upstairs showering when the kitchen door opened and Clark walked in. The Kents weren't surprised to see Clark, given his penchant for late-night visits, which were more common since Linda had started living with them, but they were surprised to see the dejected look on his face.  
  
"What happened?" Martha asked as she and Jonathan abandoned their work and went over to their son.  
  
"There was a fire in a high rise apartment," Clark said glumly. "Thirty people don't have a place to sleep tonight."  
  
"Was anyone hurt?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"No, everyone got out just fine," Clark answered. He sighed and looked at his parents. "But it happened during my date with Lois." He was met with blank looks. "Uh, Lois and I liked the movie we saw last night, so we went to see it again."  
  
"And you had to leave during it to go save the people who lived in that high rise," Martha said slowly, nodding as the realization hit her.  
  
"Yeah," Clark said. "And it wouldn't have been that bad, but it took me over two hours to save everyone and help put out the fire to keep the building from collapsing. By the time I got back, Lois was gone; I tried to call her, but her machine kept picking up. I went to see her as Superman, and she didn't even want to see him, because she was so upset at Clark that she wanted to be left alone." He walked, dejectedly, over to the kitchen table and sat down. Jonathan and Martha looked at each other and walked over, sitting on either side of their son. "I don't know what to do here."  
  
"What's going on?" Everyone looked up as Linda came walking down the stairs. She was dressed in light blue pajama pants and a matching t-shirt. Her hair was damp and she was towel drying, and she looked worried at her cousin. "What's wrong, Clark?"  
  
"How did you know something was wrong?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Because I could hear Clark all the way from my room," Linda answered as she came over and sat down at the table.  
  
"Hear?" Martha asked, her eyes wide. "As in superhearing?"  
  
"No, as in telepathy," Linda answered.  
  
"Linda, I thought we talked about that," Jonathan said sternly.  
  
"It wasn't my fault," Linda replied. "Clark was projecting like MTV at full volume." She gave her cousin a smirk. "Maybe next lesson we can work on volume control."  
  
Clark managed a small smile. "Sorry, Linda. I didn't mean to."  
  
Linda's expression softened, and she said, "It's okay, Clark. Now, what's wrong?"  
  
"Just having problems with Lois," Clark replied. "I had to leave to go save some people while I was out with Lois, but it was a couple hours before I was able to get back, and she was gone. Now she thinks I ditched her and she's mad at me." He sighed. "I really don't know what to tell her tomorrow - assuming she'll even let me near her."  
  
"Why don't you just tell her the truth?" Linda asked.  
  
"Linda, it's not that easy," Clark answered.  
  
"Why not?" Linda asked. "You like her, and she really likes you. What, you don't think she can be trusted or something?"  
  
"Linda, it's not that," Clark replied.  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
"It's complicated, Linda," Jonathan said. "Too complicated to explain tonight. Just trust us on this, okay?" Linda looked reluctant, but she nodded. "Now, it's getting late, and you need your rest." Linda looked a little annoyed, but she sighed and got to her feet. She gave hugs and kisses to everyone, then she started up the stairs.   
  
"Linda, where are Krypto and Streaky?" Martha asked.  
  
"They're already passed out on my bed," Linda answered. She smiled. "Goodnight, everyone." She scurried up the stairs, leaving the adults at the table.  
  
"So, what are you going to tell Lois tomorrow?" Martha asked her son.  
  
"I don't know," Clark replied. "I'll come up with something." He glanced up at the stairs then looked back at his parents. "How did Linda's first day go?"  
  
"Well, she didn't start any fires," Jonathan replied. "But it wasn't uneventful."  
  
"Oh?" Clark raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, Linda's already made some friends," Martha replied. She decided to leave out the part of Dick's interest in the young girl, because she knew how protective Clark would get about it; it almost rivaled Jonathan's - almost. "And she has her first assignment in Art: she has to do a sculpture and turn it in before Thanksgiving."  
  
Clark could see his mother's expression and knew she wasn't telling him everything. "So, what's the problem?" he asked.  
  
"Her art supplies," Jonathan replied. "They're a little on the expensive side."  
  
"Do you need any help getting them?" Clark asked.  
  
"No, Clark," Jonathan said. "As much as we appreciate the gesture, this is something that we've been talking about."  
  
"And?" Clark asked.  
  
"And, we've figured out we can get Linda her supplies if we make a few sacrifices in other areas," Martha replied. "It's either that or Linda will have to give up her class, and that's not something we want her to do."  
  
"Does she know?" Clark asked.  
  
"No," Jonathan answered, "and we don't want her to. She'll feel unnecessarily responsible for this."  
  
Clark nodded, understanding. He sat for a few moments in silence, then he sighed and got to his feet. "Well, I think I'm going to head back. I'm a little tired myself, and I left the suit soaking in the sink." He headed to the kitchen door with his parents, and they all headed outside onto the porch. None of them saw Linda standing, hidden, at the top of the stairs with tears streaming down her cheeks. She stood there for a few moments, then she hurried to her room, closing her door shut behind her.  
  
(End of Chapter 11) 


	12. Chapter 12

- - - -  
  
Martha was in the kitchen the next morning, getting breakfast on the table when Linda came down, dressed for the day, her backpack slung over her shoulders. Martha smiled as she looked over at her daughter.  
  
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said. "Your father missed his helper this morning." Her smile faded when she saw Linda wasn't her usually cheerful self. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," Linda replied quietly. "Just didn't get much sleep last night." Which wasn't a lie - she had barely slept any last night after hearing about the money problem she was causing for her parents.  
  
Martha touched Linda's cheek with one hand. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said. "Maybe some breakfast will help get you going."  
  
"I'm not really hungry," Linda said. "And I don't want you to go through any trouble for me."  
  
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Martha replied, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. She tilted her head. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about, Linda?"   
  
Linda nodded. "I'm sure." She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the island. "I need to get to school. I'll be home later." She headed out the door just as Jonathan headed in. He smiled at his daughter.  
  
"There you are," he said. "I thought you were going to sleep all day."   
  
Linda smiled slightly and only for a brief moment. "Sorry. I'm going to be late for school. Bye." She headed out the door, leaving her parents looking bewildered.  
  
"What was that about?" Jonathan asked his wife.  
  
"I don't know," Martha replied. "She said she didn't get much sleep last night, but something tells me she wasn't being completely honest. What do you think we should do?"  
  
"Well, part of me wants to go find out what's bothering her now," Jonathan answered, "but I know we can't do that . . . I say let's give her the day, and if she isn't feeling better, we'll talk with her then." Martha looked reluctant, but she nodded and went to get her husband his morning coffee as he sat on a stool at the island. Jonathan was glad that her back was to him, so she wouldn't see the worried expression on his face, wondering if there was anything really the matter with his daughter - and if so, what he could do to fix it.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda made her way down the corridor, stopping at her locker to exchange her books before she headed down to the Art room. It was really early, but she knew her art teacher, Miss Patterson, would be there setting up the class. The young girl stopped at the open door and saw Miss Patterson sitting at her desk, working on some papers. Linda just stood there and stared at the young woman.   
  
Lizzy Patterson was in her early thirties, with short brown hair and green eyes framed by a pair of thin-framed glasses. She had a penchant for wearing outlandish clothing, and today was no different: she was dressed in a purple pants outfit with honey bees all over it and black shoes. Her brown hair was pulled back with a yellow headband that matched the yellow in the bees, and there were even bee-shaped earrings in her ears.  
  
"Miss Patterson?" The art teacher looked up and saw Linda standing just outside the door, looking a little scared. She smiled warmly at the young girl.  
  
"Come on in, Linda," she said. "What can I do for you?" Linda slowly walked over, and then she looked up. Miss Patterson immediately saw something was bothering the young girl. "What's wrong, Linda?"  
  
Linda sighed. "We need to talk, Miss Patterson."  
  
- - - -  
  
A few minutes later, Linda walked out of the Art room as tears started streaming down her cheeks. Students were starting to congregate in the halls, so the young girl wiped her cheeks and hurried down the hall to the nearest girls restroom. She walked in and stopped short when she saw Mattie and Andy standing at the mirrors, checking their reflections. She turned to leave, but they spotted her.  
  
"Hey, Linda," Andy said, smiling.  
  
Linda sighed. She didn't really want to be around anyone, but she knew they'd follow her to find out what was bothering her, so she turned around. "Hey," she replied glumly.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mattie asked as the two teens abandoned their mirrors and walked over to their friend.  
  
"Nothing," Linda replied.  
  
"Uh huh," Mattie said. "Come on, Linda. Spill it. What's eating you?"  
  
Linda sighed, and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She tried to stop them, but she couldn't. "I quit Art," she said tearfully.  
  
"What?" Andy asked, shocked. "Why? You seemed to like it."  
  
"Is it too hard?" Mattie prodded.  
  
Linda shook her head and sniffled, and Mattie handed her a tissue. Linda blew her nose, then she tossed the used tissue in a nearby trashcan. "I overheard my parents talking last night about my supplies and how they can't afford them without making sacrifices." She looked up tearfully. "I don't want them doing that for me."  
  
"Linda, they're your folks," Andy said. "That's what parents do their for their kids."  
  
"No!" Linda replied, a hint of frustration mixed in with her sadness. "They've already done so much for me since I got here; I don't want them to do anything else for me."  
  
Mattie put her hand on Linda's shoulder and said, "Linda, I -"  
  
"You don't understand," Linda interrupted tearfully, jerking away from Mattie's hand. "I don't deserve it." She looked up as the first bell sounded, then she hurried out of the bathroom, leaving Mattie and Andy in confused bewilderment.  
  
The young girl hurried down the empty hall, heading towards Biology. She turned the corner and nearly ran into a group of five boys. She recognized Dick and Buzz, but the three others, dressed in red and yellow letterman jackets were unfamiliar to her.   
  
"Dick?" Linda asked. "Buzz? What's going on?"  
  
"Linda, you okay?" Dick asked, noticing she had been crying.  
  
The young girl straightened up, wiping her cheeks and trying to remove any evidence of her tears. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "What are you doing out here? Why aren't you in Biology?" She eyed the unknowns. "And who are these guys?"  
  
"Linda, don't worry about it," Buzz said. "Go to class; we'll catch up with you later."  
  
Linda watched them brush past her and head off down the hall, and she furrowed her eyebrows. She knew she didn't know a lot about human nature, but she knew something wasn't kosher with the guys . . . and she knew she had to know what it was. She hurried off after the group and stood in front of them, stopping them.  
  
"Oh, come on, Buzz," she said, "why won't you tell me what's going on?" Buzz shook his head, then she glanced at Dick. "Dick?"  
  
"Linda, it doesn't concern you," Dick replied. "Now, go to class."  
  
"You can't tell me what to do," Linda said, frowning a bit. "You're not my father."  
  
"I know I'm not," Dick replied, trying not to get upset with her, "but you don't need to be involved in this."  
  
"Maybe not," Linda retorted, "but I do know that you're all supposed to be in class, and I have a feeling our principal won't be too thrilled to find out you're not where you're supposed to be."  
  
"You wouldn't," one of the unknowns said.  
  
"If you let me in on what's going on," Linda replied, "I won't. Now, once again, what's going on?" The guys glanced at each other, then they looked back at her.   
  
Dick sighed. "Fine," he said. "If we tell you, promise you won't say a word to anyone?"  
  
"Promise," Linda replied.  
  
"We're going down to Saunders Gorge," Buzz said. He jerked a thumb at one of the unknowns. He was really tall, taller than even Clark, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. "Darrien's arranged a little back to school party in one of the caves there."  
  
Linda eyed Darrien and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked slowly.  
  
Darrien smiled and held a hand out. "Darrien Bounder," he said. "I don't believe I caught your last name, Linda."  
  
"Kent," Linda replied as she shook the offered hand. "Linda Kent." She eyed the other two. "And who are you two?"  
  
"Devon Miles and Michael Knight," Darrien replied, pointing to his friends. Devon had sandy brown hair and hazel eyes, and Michael had black hair and blue eyes. He rubbed his hands together. "Now, since we're all acquainted with each other, why don't we get going before we get caught?" He brushed past the others and put his arm around Linda's shoulders. "Have you ever been to Saunders Gorge, Linda?"  
  
"No, I'm new here," Linda replied.  
  
Darrien smiled as he led Linda down the hall. Devon and Michael were close behind, leaving Buzz and Dick watching, their eyebrows raised.  
  
"Dude, is it me or is *he* making a move on the girl who kissed *you* last night?" Buzz asked.  
  
Dick scowled as he watched Darrien talk to Linda, and she was laughing softly at what he was saying. He didn't know why he was feeling so protective . . . or was it just jealously? He didn't know, and he didn't really care. "Come on," he growled softly as he grabbed Buzz's arm and headed off after the others.  
  
- - - -  
  
The elevator doors opened and Clark carefully got off the elevator, glancing left and right. He spotted Lois at her desk, typing on her keyboard. He didn't have to use his telescopic vision to see that she was angry - and he knew she had every reason to be. He sighed as headed into the bullpen, knowing sooner or later he'd have to face her, and he'd rather get it over with as soon as possible. He slowly approached her desk, trying to look peaceful.  
  
"Hi," he said. Nothing; she didn't even look up or acknowledge his presence. He sighed and glanced down. He saw three dozen white roses in her waste basket. "Ah, I see you got the roses I ordered." Still nothing. Clark sighed and sat down in the chair next to Lois' desk. "Lois, I know you have every right to be mad at me for what happened last night."  
  
"I'm not mad," Lois said calmly, not looking up from her monitor screen.  
  
"You're not?" Clark asked.  
  
"No," Lois answered. "I'm furious." She looked up, hurt written all over her face. "You know, if you don't want to date me, then you could at least tell me to my face instead of making up some stupid excuse about going to the bathroom and then ditching me."  
  
"Lois, I do want to date you," Clark replied. "It's just -"  
  
"Just what?" Lois interrupted. "Come on, Clark. If you didn't ditch me, then tell me where the hell you disappeared to for over an hour?"  
  
Clark met Lois's eyes, and he was so angry at himself for causing her the pain he was seeing that he was very tempted to just tell her the truth - all of it. He knew it would be so easy: 'Lois, the reason I left is because I'm Superman, and I heard emergency sirens, and I had to go save people from a high rise apartment building fire. I'm really sorry I left you, but those people needed my help.' But he knew deep down that if he did that it would be opening up a whole new can of worms, and in her current emotional state Clark knew she would even be more upset at him - and he knew she would still have every right to be mad at him. He sighed. Sometimes he hated the dual identity he'd created for himself; he really hated it.   
  
"Lois," he said, "I . . . don't know what to tell you."  
  
"Just as I thought," Lois replied coldly. She turned back to her monitor. "Just go away, Clark."   
  
Clark sighed, defeated. He silently got to his feet and left Lois, heading to his desk. Lois blinked back tears and took a deep breath to keep from losing her composure in front of everyone. It took her a few breaths for her to be able to think clearly, and she pushed all thoughts of Clark from her mind and refocused her energies back on her story.  
  
From his office door Perry watched his two best reporters, and he sighed. He had always had reservations about those two getting together; they were like nitro and glycerin, and things had just gotten explosive.  
  
"So, what's the war zone like, Chief?" Jimmy asked as he walked up to his boss, glancing over at his two friends.  
  
"Lois is mad at Clark for ditching her on their date last night," Perry said, "and Clark can't come up with a reason as to why he did." He turned and frowned. "Didn't you have some photos to show me of the high rise fire from last night?"  
  
Jimmy held up a stack of photos. "Right here, Chef." Perry didn't say anything as he turned and walked back into his office. Jimmy glanced once more over at the two reporters and felt really bad for them. He had always thought those two made a cute couple, and they were his best friends to boot, so he hated seeing them like that.  
  
"Olsen!" Perry shouted.  
  
Jimmy nearly jumped out of his skin, but he managed to keep from dropping his photos as he scurried into Perry's office.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda watched her footing as she followed Dick and the others down a beaten path to the bottom of Saunder's Gorge. Part of her knew she shouldn't be there - none of them should have been there - and she wanted to say something, but she decided against it. She stayed close behind Dick as they reached the bottom and walked out onto a flat rock that jetted out into the gorge. She saw ten other students - half guys and half girls - near one edge of the rock, standing next to a large opening in the side of the cave. The six approached the group.  
  
"Ladies and gents," Darrien shouted loudly, grinning, "I have arrived." Everyone whooped and hollered. "The party can now officially start!"  
  
Linda stood off to one side as she watched the others mingle, not sure what she should do. She saw one of the guys reach into a cooler nearby and pull out a six pack of beer. He tossed a can to each of the six newcomers, including Linda. She held the can in her hands, examining it. She knew what it was, because Jonathan would occasionally drink one (though he only drank once in a while), and she had asked him what it was. Jonathan explained exactly what it was, and he emphasized that it was something she wasn't allowed to drink until she was twenty-one. She looked up as Darrien walked over.  
  
"Problem with the beer?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not allowed to drink this stuff," Linda said.  
  
"Your parents tell you that?" Darrien asked, looking amused.  
  
"My father did," Linda replied. "He said it would be a bad thing."  
  
"Yeah, well, you're father's wrong," Darrien said. "One beer won't kill you." He took Linda's can and opened it before handing it back to her. "Go on, try some." Linda looked at the open can and brought it to her lips, but Dick walked over with Buzz close behind.  
  
"Linda, wait," Dick said. "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to." He gently snatched the can. "Trust me, it doesn't taste very good anyway. You're not missing much." He gave Darrien a dirty look as he handed the can back to him.   
  
Buzz saw his friend's expression and put his hand on Linda's shoulder. "Come on, Linda," he said. "I want to introduce you to some friends." He steered the young girl away from Dick and Darrien.  
  
"What's your glitch, man?" Darrien frowned at Dick, getting in his face.  
  
"Leave her alone, Darrien," Dick said. He didn't waver or step back, even though he knew Darrien could easily pummel him.  
  
"I'm just being friendly," Darrien said.  
  
"Yeah, like you were friendly to Anita?" Dick replied. "Or Mary? Or Rebecca?" Darrien snorted. "Linda's not going to be another notch on your post, man."   
  
"We'll see," Darrien said before walking back to the group, more specifically Linda, leaving Dick glaring at him. "Okay, people, let's have some real fun and go spelunking!" Everyone whooped, and Dick hurried over to Linda.  
  
"Spelunking?" Linda asked Dick.  
  
"Cave exploration," Dick replied. He glanced over Linda's head and saw Darrien approaching. "Wanna be my buddy?"  
  
"Sure," Linda replied.  
  
"Linda, you want to be my buddy in the caves?" Darrien asked as he approached the young girl.  
  
"Sorry, Darrien," Linda said. "I already said I'd be Dick's buddy." Dick smirked at Darrien, who narrowed his eyes briefly, but he smiled.   
  
"That's fine," he replied. He turned to everyone. "Let's get this show on the road!" Everyone whooped and hollered, and Dick, Linda, and Buzz took up the back end as everyone made their way into the cave.  
  
"Anybody got a light?" someone joked.  
  
"Right here!" Darrien shouted loudly. He fumbled around in his pockets. A few minutes later he pulled out a small flashlight and flicked it on. A dim light filled the tunnel, nowhere near what they needed to see clearly, but they could at least see what they were in.  
  
Linda didn't have to worry about the light problem. She had switched to her X-ray vision, and she could see everything around her clearly, including the outline of bright rocks. She switched back to normal vision and walked over to the side. "Darrien, can you shine your light over here?" Everyone looked over as Darrien shown the light over. The light from the beam reflected off the rock, the light refracting inside the rock and illuminating the area immediately around the rock in a dim white light. "Wow, that's pretty. What kind of rocks are these?"   
  
"Just ordinary quartz," Dick said as he walked over. "But it is pretty the way the light shines off it."  
  
Darrien narrowed his eyes and took the light away from the rock. "Hey, guys, listen to this," he said. He turned and shouted loudly down the tunnel. His voice echoed for almost five seconds. "Come on, guys, let's really make this place sing!" Everyone but Dick, Linda, and Buzz shouted at the tops of their lungs down the tunnel. They kept shouting and shouting for a few moments, then Darrien motioned them to stop. They all listened as their echo faded into the darkness, lasting over ten seconds.  
  
"Man, that was cool!" Darrien said. He started whooping, and the others joined in. The trio just watched, not really enthusiastic, but then Linda felt the vibrations coming from the wall. She turned and put her hand against the wall as the vibrations got stronger.  
  
"Hey, guys, you feel that?" Buzz asked loudly. The group stopped shouted, and everyone looked up as a few pebbles fell onto them.  
  
"What is that?" one of the girls asked as the ground below them started shaking and more pebbles fell onto them.  
  
"Cave in!" Dick shouted. He grabbed Linda's hand. "Let's go!"  
  
  
  
Linda's heart was pounding in her chest as everyone bolted back the way they came, larger rocks pelting them. The young girl looked up at the ceiling, just as it crumbled and came apart.  
  
"Look out!" Linda shouted. The students looked up just as the ceiling caved down on all of them, and everything went black.  
  
(End of Chapter 12) 


	13. Chapter 13

- - - -  
  
The air was musty and thick with dust. Linda heard nothing but silence, and she saw nothing but darkness when she opened her eyes. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and ears, and her breath came in short gasps.  
  
"H-h-h-hello?" she whispered. She heard a cough and turned towards the sound.  
  
"Linda?" Dick asked hoarsely.  
  
"Dick? Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Dick replied. "Where are you?"  
  
Linda switched to her X-ray vision and saw Dick's skeleton feeling the wall next to her. She reached out and grabbed one the Dick's hands. "I'm here," she said. She looked around and saw the other students' skeletons - most were standing, but there were two trapped beneath piles of heavy rocks. Linda carefully made her way over to the two skeletons, Buzz and one of the girls Linda met earlier; her name was Gina. "Buzz, are you okay?" Buzz didn't move or say anything. "Buzz?" Nothing. Linda turned to Gina; her right leg was stuck underneath a few large rocks. "Gina, are you okay?"  
  
Gina tried moving her leg, but she yelped. "My leg," she said tearfully. "I think it's broken."  
  
Linda quickly checked Gina's leg. Her tibia was broken in three place. "Yep, it's broken," she whispered softly. She took a deep breath and spoke louder. "Okay, we need to get out of here. Buzz and Gina are hurt. Is anyone else hurt?" There were smatterings of people saying they had cuts and were scared, but nothing that warranted any major concern. "Okay, we need light. Darrien, where's your flashlight?" She watched as Darrien fumbled around in the dark, feeling for his flashlight, and he finally found it. His hands were shaking as he flipped it on. The tunnel was bathed in a soft glow, and everyone could see that the tunnel had collapsed on both sides of them, trapping them in a space roughly fifteen feet in length.  
  
"We're trapped," one of the guys said as he walked over to the wall of rock blocking their way out. He started moving rocks, but they were too heavy. "Come on, guys, help me out here!" Some of the teens rushed over and tried moving the rocks while the rest hung back. They started panicking, shouting, as they worked frantically to get out, clawing and crying. Dick and Linda looked up at the ceiling as some pebbles started shaking loose.  
  
"Hey, stop it!" Dick said as he hurried over to the students. "You can't do that!"  
  
"Why not?" a girl asked tearfully, wringing her hands.  
  
"Because the ceiling will fall in on us again," Dick said. "We need to think this through calmly, and we can't do that with everyone screaming and shouting, or we'll have another cave it."  
  
Not if I can help it, Linda thought as she looked up at the ceiling. She focused her telekinesis on the ceiling, imagining an invisible brace supporting the ceiling above them.  
  
"So, what do we do?" Darrien asked. "Just sit here and hope someone will find us?"  
  
Linda kept the image of the brace in her head as she looked down on the students. She knew she could easily send a message to Clark and let him know what was going on, but she didn't want to risk having her telekinesis short out on her in the process with having to strain to reach him from such a great distance; she was also worried he'd be mad at her for skipping school and wouldn't help her anyway. She knew she could also easily use her strength to get them out, but she didn't want to risk them finding out about her just yet. There had to be other options.  
  
"Does anyone have a cell phone?" the young girl asked.  
  
"My right pocket," a voice whispered hoarsely. Everyone looked down and saw Buzz stirring. Linda and Dick hurried over and knelt beside him.  
  
"Buzz, are you okay?" Linda asked.  
  
"My chest hurts," Buzz said softly. "Hurts to breathe." Linda quickly x-rayed him and saw a couple of his ribs were cracked.   
  
"Okay, just take it easy," Dick said reassuringly. "We're going to get out of here just fine." He carefully reached into Buzz's pocket and pulled out the small cell phone. He flipped open the phone and shakily dialed 911.  
  
- - - -  
  
Pete sat in his office, filling out some paperwork - something he hated - when one of his deputies - Marshall Taggart - rushed in. The sheriff looked up, annoyed the deputy hadn't knocked, but he saw the frantic look on the deputy's face. Before he could say anything, Taggart spoke up.  
  
"You need to hear this, sir," Taggart said as he put a mini tape recorder on Pete's desk and pressed the play button. Pete heard a lot of static and garble, but then -  
  
"You" static "us . . . we're" static "cave-in" static "Saunder's" static "hurt" static, then the tape cut off. Taggart hit the stop button then looked at his superior.  
  
"Call came a few minutes ago," Taggart said. "That's all dispatch got before the caller was cut off - we think it was from a cell phone, given the static, and the signal was lost."  
  
"You think it's legit?" Pete asked. "Caller seemed awful young."  
  
"Yes, I do, sir," Taggart said. "Voice might have been young, but I don't think anyone can fake fear like that." He took a deep breath. "I think something's happened at Saunder's Gorge, and we need to look into it."  
  
Pete looked up at Taggart, and a smile played on his lips. Taggart had always tried to please everyone, sticking with protocol, so it was refreshing seeing the deputy actually taking a stand for something he believed in. Pete nodded as he got to his feet and grabbed his hat.  
  
"We'll go check it out then," Pete said.  
  
"Shouldn't we call Search and Rescue?" Taggart asked as they walked out of the office.  
  
"Not until we know exactly what's going on," Pete said as he and Taggart headed out of the building.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda sat next to Buzz, resting her head on her knees as her legs were curled close to her. Buzz was drifting in and out of consciousness, and Devon had lent Linda his jacket to cover Buzz with in order to keep him warm. Dick walked over and sat down next to Linda. He glanced at her in the dim light, then he put an arm around Linda's shoulders.  
  
"You okay?" he asked.  
  
"Do you think the call got through?" Linda asked.  
  
"I don't know," Dick replied. "I hope so." He sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe how stupid I am."  
  
"What do you mean?" Linda asked.  
  
"We shouldn't have come here," Dick said. "We should have just stayed in school."  
  
"Can I ask you a question?" Linda asked.  
  
"Sure," Dick replied.  
  
"Does Darrien have this party every year?" Linda asked.  
  
"Yeah, he's been doing this since seventh grade," Dick replied. "Which was five years ago, him being a senior now and all. And no, I've never been to any of them before; this is my first time." He sighed. "Though, this is the first time it wasn't on the first day of school."  
  
"Why not?" Linda asked.  
  
"Because of that fire in your Bio class," Darrien answered as he walked up and sat on the other side of Linda. "Couldn't risk us getting caught, even with all the chaos going on."  
  
Linda just stared at Darrien, her eyes wide with shock. It was her fault they were all here. If she hadn't started the fire the day before, then none of this would have happened. She scrambled to her feet, trying not to cry. "Excuse me," she whispered as she walked to the other side of the tunnel.  
  
Dick got to his feet and hurried after her. "Hey," he said softly. "Linda, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," Linda replied, her head down.  
  
"You don't think this is all your fault, do you?" Dick asked.  
  
Linda looked up at him, but before she could say anything, she felt something wet hitting her. She looked down and saw water trickling out of some large cracks in the wall she was leaning against. Dick saw them as well and cursed softly. He looked around and was thankful no one else noticed the problem. He turned back to Linda.  
  
"This is not good," he said.  
  
"So, what do we do?" Linda asked.  
  
Dick looked at the cracks; they weren't big enough to plug up with rocks or anything they had on hand, and the rate of water flow was increasing rapidly. His mind was frantic as water started pooling on the ground, and a few moments later the others noticed the new problem.  
  
"We're going to die!" one of the girls shouted as everyone scrambled to their feet, trying to stay dry.  
  
"We are *not* going to die," Dick said forcefully. "But we need to get Buzz and Gina off the floor, and that means we gotta get these rocks off them. Now, come on!" He hurried over to Buzz and started trying to remove the rocks. The other students went over and helped move the rocks off their friends while Linda stayed where she was, keeping an eye on the cracks, trying to figure out what she could do to help.  
  
The young girl glanced at the ceiling, then looked back at the cracks. She took a deep breath and knew she had to try something. Linda released her telekinetic hold of the ceiling and was relieved that nothing fell on her or the others, then she stared at the cracks and focused her energy on them. She watched as the water flow subsided, and she smiled, grateful that she was actually able to do something.  
  
Her relief was short-lived as she felt pebbles hit her head. She looked up and saw cracks starting to form in the ceiling. Linda glanced back down at the wall cracks, and she blinked back tears. She knew she wouldn't be able to focus on both the ceiling and the water cracks at the same time without seriously draining her energy. She sighed, knowing she had to choose only one. Tears welled up in her eyes as she released her hold on the wall cracks, and she watched as the water started flowing freely into the tunnel once again. The young girl then looked up and pictured the invisible brace again, then she took a ragged breath and closed her eyes, hoping that she made the right choice.  
  
(End of Chapter 13) 


	14. Chapter 14

- - - -  
  
Pete and Taggart hurried down the path to the bottom of the gorge, having already searched the top, and quickly spotted the beer cans littering the area near the cave entrance. They hurried over and examined the scene.  
  
"Looks like someone was here," Taggart said. He eyed the tunnel. "And there's a tunnel, sir."  
  
Pete quickly assessed the situation and took out his flashlight. "Be careful going in," he said. Taggart nodded and took out his flashlight. Both officers flicked them on and carefully walked into the tunnel. They swiveled their lights from side to side as they slowly headed in. After a few moments, they came to a wall of rocks piled from floor to ceiling. Taggart and Pete glanced at each other before hurrying over to the rocks.  
  
"Hello?" Pete shouted. "Is anyone there? This is Sheriff Ross!"  
  
From the other side, Linda opened her eyes when she heard the familiar voice. She turned to the pile of rocks, not sure if she really heard anything, but then a few of the students hurried over to join Linda, shouting.  
  
"We're stuck here!"  
  
"Get us out!"  
  
"We're going to drown!"  
  
"Okay," Pete said loudly, "I need you all to calm down in there and let me know what's going on!"  
  
"Pete, it's Linda!" the young girl shouted, stepping forward.  
  
Pete stopped, startled; Linda was the last person he expected to hear, but he knew he couldn't worry about that at the moment; he had a job to do. "Linda, what's going on over there?" he asked. "What happened?"  
  
"There was a cave in," Linda said. "The other kids shouted and the cave fell in on us, trapping us here; there's rocks piled up on both sides."  
  
"How many of you are in there?" Pete asked.  
  
"Sixteen total," Linda answered. "And Buzz and Gina were injured by the falling rocks."  
  
"How bad?"  
  
"Buzz said his chest was hurting, and Gina said her leg hurt," Linda replied. "I think they have broken bones."  
  
"Are you sure, Linda?" Pete asked.  
  
"Very sure," Linda answered, hoping Pete would understand what she was implying.  
  
Pete nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him; he knew Linda couldn't say she had x-rayed the kids, but he knew she had. "Someone said something about drowning. What's that all about?"  
  
"The walls cracked, and water's spilling into the tunnel," Linda said. She looked down and saw the water was passing her ankles. She glanced over and saw that the students had moved Gina and Buzz to where they were both being supported well above the water level. The young girl looked back at the wall. "Pete, the water's at our ankles now."  
  
Pete turned to Taggart. "We need to get them out now," he said. "Hold on, kids." He and Taggart started messing with one of the rocks, trying to pry it loose. He heard a small vibration and looked up as pebbles started falling, and he stopped Taggart. "Okay, that won't work."  
  
"How are we going to get them out?" Taggart asked.  
  
Pete looked at the wall and sighed. He knew Linda could easily get everyone out, but that would reveal who she was, and that was something he knew she couldn't do. "Okay, kids," he said loudly, "we're going to get you out, but we need you all to remain calm. And we need to know who's all in there."  
  
"Are you going to tell our parents?" Darrien asked worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, I will," Pete replied. He pulled out his small notepad and a pen. "Now, who's all in there?" There was silence. Pete glanced at Taggart. "Look, kids, I know you're scared about your parents finding out about you skipping school, but I bet they're not going to be as angry at you as you think. So, what do you say? You ready to tell me your names?"  
  
From the other side, the students looked at each other, deciding what to do. Dick was the first one who stepped forward. "It's me, Sheriff Ross. Dick Malverne." He looked at the other students, but they weren't saying anything. Dick was grateful he knew everyone there as he rattled off everyone's names.  
  
Pete quickly jotted down all the names. "Thanks, Dick," he said. He tore off the notepad paper and handed it to Taggart. "Call dispatch and an S&R team out here. Let them know what's going on, but don't mention any of the names of the students. After you're done, I want you to personally contact each students' family and let them know what's going on, starting with the Kents." He knew they'd be able to get in touch with Clark, who would *definitely* be able to help out.  
  
"Why the Kents first?" Taggart asked.  
  
"Because Linda's the youngest student in there," Pete replied. "And her parents have a way of making things happen."   
  
"Okay, what about any media that overhears the transmisson?" Taggart asked.  
  
"Call dispatch and get a team assembled for that too," Pete replied. "Let the them know that the area is unstable and media needs to be kept to a minimum - no exceptions." Taggart nodded and hurried out of the tunnel, leaving Pete alone in the cave, praying that this would be over quickly with no problems.  
  
- - - -  
  
"Okay, everyone, listen up!" Perry shouted as he rushed out of his office. The entire newsroom halted as everyone turned to face their boss. "We got ourselves a situation in Smallville."  
  
"What, a cow got stolen?" a reporter, George Jacobson, asked, smirking to the person next to him.  
  
Perry glared at the reporter, and he was glad Jacobson shrank a bit. "Sixteen students from Smallville High are trapped in a tunnel in Saunder's Gorge," the editor said. Clark and Chloe glanced at each other, worried, as Perry continued. "Two were injured by falling rocks. Now, Search and Rescue's trying to get them out, but they're having to jump two hurdles: one, the tunnel's filling with water, and two, the tunnel has become extremely unstable."  
  
"Sounds like a job for Superman," Chloe whispered softly to her friend.  
  
Clark nodded, then he turned to his boss. "Who are the students?" he asked.  
  
"They're not releasing the names until the families have been contacted," Perry replied. "They're also limiting the number of media personnel in the area, what with it being unstable and all." He turned to Jimmy. "Jimmy, grab your camera. You and Clark are taking the chopper out to Smallville." Jimmy nodded and went about gathering up his bags and equipment.  
  
"Me?" Clark asked. He tried not to look alarmed, but he needed to go as Superman, not Clark. "Why not Lois or Chloe?"  
  
"Because I said so," Perry replied. "With media personnel being limited, I need someone who knows the area and the people. Besides, you're best friends with the Sheriff."  
  
"Chloe's just as qualified as me, Chief," Clark said. "And she's friends with the Sheriff as well."  
  
"Yes, she is," Perry replied, "but she's better on a computer than you, and we're going to need someone here to do some digging once we find out the identity of the students involved." Clark opened his mouth to protest, but Perry stopped him. "Kent, my decision is final. Now, you and Olsen get going." Clark hesitated, but he sighed and nodded. He and Jimmy headed towards the elevator and got on, riding up to the roof. Perry turned to his other reporters. "Everyone else, get back to work! Chloe, you and Lois stay in contact with Clark and Jimmy! Oh, and Jacobson, get in my office - now!"  
  
The elevator ride was silent as Jimmy fiddled with his camera. He glanced over at Clark and saw the worried expression on his friend's face. He opened his mouth, then he decided against saying anything and closed it. Neither of them said anything as the elevator stopped at the top floor and they got off. They hurried out through the roof door and over to where the Planet's helicopter was waiting for them, its blades already whirling. The two men boarded, and within a few moments they were airborne and heading west over the Metropolis skyline.  
  
- - - -  
  
Jonathan and Martha were sitting at the island. Jonathan had just finished his chores, and he was drinking his coffee while Martha read the latest edition of the Ledger and the two exchanged pleasant chatter. Suddenly, Martha dropped her paper on the island and sat up straight, looking to find her husband doing the same. Their eyes met, mouths slightly open, caught for a moment as the air between them fell deathly still and they shared a shiver in their spines. Jonathan was about to say something when they heard a vehicle pull up. They glanced at the kitchen door, then the Kents got to their feet and hurried out, standing on the porch. They saw Taggart's vehicle park next to the blue truck.   
  
The deputy got out and stopped as he looked towards the house. He wasn't expecting to see the Kents standing on the porch, looking at him like they knew he was coming. He quickly regained his composure and hurried up the walk to the porch.  
  
"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent," he said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news about your daughter."  
  
"What's wrong with Linda?" Jonathan asked, furrowing his eyebrows, his voice dripping with concern.  
  
"She and fifteen other students were involved in a cave in at the bottom of Saunder's Gorge," Taggart answered. Martha gasped and put a hand over her mouth as she looked at her husband. "She's not hurt; she's actually helping the other students stay calm and tending to the ones who are injured."  
  
"Can we go to Saunder's Gorge?" Martha asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking.  
  
Taggart nodded. "Sheriff Ross is expecting you. I have to contact the other families, otherwise I'd escort you there myself." He hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should apologize, so he nodded quickly before heading back to his car.  
  
"What was she doing there in the first place?" Jonathan asked, trying to keep his voice from getting too loud as the deputy got in his car and drove off. "She was supposed to be at school; what was she thinking?"  
  
"I don't know, Jonathan," Martha replied. "We can ask her later, but right now our daughter needs us, and we can't go to her being mad." She watched as her husband's expression softened. "Now, you call Clark and let him know what's going on. I'll get the keys." Jonathan nodded, and the Kents hurried back into the house.  
  
(End of Chapter 14) 


	15. Chapter 15

- - - -  
  
The water was at Linda's waist as the young girl leaned against the wall, her eyes closed as she tried thinking of what to do. She could feel the cold, but she wasn't getting cold, thanks to her invulnerability, but she knew her fellow classmates were not quite as fortunate. It took her a few seconds to calculate the rate of flow and how big the space was, and she figured the tunnel would be filled up in about an hour; she knew she had to do something.  
  
Linda opened her eyes and looked around. Everyone was huddled near the far side, keeping an eye on Buzz and Gina. She looked back at the other end, the one blocking their way out. She waded over slowly, trying not to draw attention to herself.  
  
"Pete?" she said as loudly as she dared. "You there?"  
  
"I'm here, Linda," Pete replied from the other side. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"I have an idea," the young girl said softly. "I think I can do this without disturbing the tunnel's integrity."  
  
"Do what?" Pete asked.  
  
"I can make some drain holes," Linda said. "Not big ones, but they would be big enough to drain out some of the water . . . ."  
  
Pete wasn't sure how she'd do that, but he trusted her. "What do you need me to do?" he asked.  
  
Linda switched to her x-ray vision. She saw through the rock wall, seeing it wasn't too deep, and where Pete was standing. "Just move off to one side," she replied. "I'll handle the rest." She watched Pete move to her left, and she took a deep breath, hoping that what she was about to wouldn't fail. She turned her back to the students, blocking their view of what she was doing. Taking her index and middle finger, she found a structurally sound area in the wall under the water level and easily drilled into the rock with her fingers. She felt her fingers break through the other side of the wall, and then she pulled back.  
  
"Good work, Linda," Pete said. "Water's flowing nicely."  
  
Linda breathed a sigh of relief and found another area. She poked another hole, then another and another. In a matter of moments, she had made seven drain holes, and Pete reassured her that each one was operational. The young girl smiled for the first time as she turned back to see what the others were up to, just as Darrien's flashlight flickered and went out. Everyone started panicking and screaming and shouting, and Linda could feel the vibrations as the walls started shuddering.  
  
"Linda, what's going on?" Pete asked.  
  
Linda strained with all her energies focused on the ceiling, trying to keep everything from falling in on them. She closed her eyes, knowing she couldn't hold it up with all the chaos going on around here.  
  
"Everyone just shut up!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Everything was still, and Linda could feel the vibrations stop. The young girl stood, trying to catch her breath and keep her focus on the ceiling. "Now, everyone just stay calm."  
  
"But it's dark and the water's rising," a girl said softly.  
  
"I know, but you can't all go shouting around here," Linda replied, trying not to get angry. "You'll cause the ceiling to fall on us. Now, people are coming to get us out."  
  
"So, what do we do until then?" Darrien asked. "Just sit on our butts in the dark and wait to drown?"  
  
Linda sighed. She wished she had a light or a candle or something - anything - to light up the place, just to help keep everyone calm - even herself. She put a hand against the wall, and she felt something hard and crystalline. She slowly looked over at the quartz rock as she remembered what happened when Darrien shone the light on it. She racked her brain, knowing she didn't have anything to use for a light source, then she remembered her heat vision. She knew it was heat, but she also knew from her lessons that energy could be converted to different forms. The trick was, if what she had in mind worked, it would take her telekinesis to keep it going, which meant some of her energy would be spilt between holding the ceiling up and keeping the place lit. It was a hard choice, but she knew the light was a beacon for them, keeping them all calm during this chaotic time.   
  
Linda carefully grabbed the rock and yanked it free from the wall. She turned her back once again, hunching over and removing her glasses. She tucked them into her jeans pocket and then she shielded the rock with her hands. Taking a deep breath, she focused her heat vision on the rock. Two beams shot into the rock, and the energy started refracting, causing the rock to glow white. Linda immediately put up a telekinetic 'bubble' around the rock and was pleased the light managed to stay put. She discreetly sped over and dropped the rock into the center of the water and hurried back to where she stood before anyone even noticed the tunnel was starting to be bathed in a soft white glow.  
  
"Look," Dick said, staring at the glowing rock. Everyone looked at the soft white light under the water. "Where did that come from?" The students kept their attention on the glowing quartz, giving Linda the opportunity to grab a couple more rocks, light them up, and toss them - unnoticed - into the water.  
  
"Okay, this is getting really weird," Michael replied. "This place is haunted or something."  
  
"Maybe it's a new meteor rock or something," another student spoke up. The students started chattering among themselves as Linda leaned back, smiling slightly. Dick looked up and noticed. He waded over.  
  
"You look relieved," he said softly.  
  
"We have light," Linda replied. "And everyone's calming down." She leaned back and rested against the wall, keeping her thoughts focused on the ceiling and rocks as she closed her eyes. Dick stared her for a few moments before he reached over, gently took her hand and squeezed it. Linda smiled, keeping her eyes closed, as she gently squeezed back.  
  
- - - -  
  
Clark was fidgeting as the helicopter descended into a clearing near Saunder's Gorge. The chopper had barely touched down, and Clark quickly unbuckled his safety belt and hopped out. Jimmy was close behind him as the reporter hurried towards the beaten path that led to the bottom of the gorge. A deputy was guarding the path, and Clark and Jimmy both flashed their press passes; the deputy let them pass, and the two headed down the path.  
  
At the bottom of the gorge Clark and Jimmy looked around. Police tape was roped around an area encompassing a tunnel. Off to one side were reporters and news crews, some of which Clark and Jimmy recognized. Off to the other side were family members of the students, some of them Clark recognized from his high school days.  
  
"Jimmy, I'm going to go talk with the parents," he said. "Why don't you take some photos of the area?" Jimmy nodded and scurried off as Clark walked over to the group. He was halfway there when he saw his parents among the group; he stopped short and tilted his head before continuing over. "Mom, Dad?" His parents looked over, and they appeared shocked that their son was there. "What are -" He suddenly stopped; his face paled, and his eyes widened as the realization hit him: Linda was in there. "No. Ohhhhh no. Please tell me -"  
  
"She is, Clark," Jonathan said gravely.  
  
"What happened?" Clark asked. "Is she okay? Is she hurt?"  
  
"We don't know," Martha answered. "All we know is that she skipped school with the others."  
  
"Linda skipped school?" Clark asked, incredulously.   
  
"Trust me, you're not the only one blown away by that," Jonathan replied, "but she's not hurt; she's actually helping the others." He leaned over. "Look, we called the Planet, so we know you didn't come here like this of your own free will, but do you think there's any chance you could help out?"  
  
Clark glanced around, then he shook his head. "Too many people around right now," he said quietly. He looked apologetic. "Sorry, Dad."  
  
Jonathan put a hand on his son's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Clark." He looked up as Jimmy hurried over. "Hi, Jimmy."  
  
"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, what are you doing here?" Jimmy asked. He paused. "Wait a second . . . ." The realization hit him like the proverbial ton of bricks. "Oh, no." He looked at the tunnel entrance. "Linda's in there?" He tried not to panic, but his heart started racing. "She's not one of the students injured, is she?"  
  
"No, she's fine, Jimmy," Martha said reassuringly. "She and the other students are fine right now, and we're confident they're going to stay that way." She put on her best smile, hoping Jimmy would believe her when even she had her doubts. It wasn't that she didn't have confidence in the police officials and Linda and her own son to help clear up the situation, but she was a mother - and she was required to worry about her family any time their well-being and safety were threatened.  
  
"So, what do we do?" Jimmy asked.  
  
Clark sighed. "We do our job, Jimmy." He didn't like any more than he knew Jimmy did, but if there was one thing he had learned since becoming Superman, he couldn't always just rush into things - and until he knew what exactly was going on, he was going to stay on the scene as the Planet's representative. "Look, I know this is hard to do, but I want you to go take pictures; I'm going to try to talk to Pete and find out exactly what's going on."  
  
"What about Superman?" Jimmy asked. Clark stopped and stared at his young friend. "Everyone knows you're friends with him. Maybe you should call him, you know, with your cousin being in there and all."  
  
"How about we find out what's going on first?" Clark suggested. "You know Superman doesn't just go rushing into things without knowing as much as he can. We'll find out what's going on, then I'll let him know as soon as I can." Jimmy sighed and nodded, and then he left, going off to one side to start snapping photos. Clark glanced at his parents and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "I'll get her out," he said softly. "I promise." They nodded and watched him as he hurried off towards the police tape.   
  
Martha felt tears well up in her eyes, and she turned to her husband. He pulled her to him and just held her tightly as she started crying softly into his chest. Jonathan whispered softly to her, reassuring her that everything was going to be just fine, even as he blinked back his own tears. He said a silent prayer that their daughter would be back with them unharmed.  
  
(End of Chapter 15) 


	16. Chapter 16

- - - -  
  
Linda's eyes were closed, and she tried to keep her thoughts focused on keeping both the ceiling from caving in and the lights in their respective rocks. Both were putting a strain on her energy, and for the first time in a long time she was starting to get tired, but she knew she had to stay focused.  
  
[Linda?]  
  
The young girl's eyes flew open. She recognized the voice belonging to her cousin, and she knew he wasn't in the cave, but his voice sounded as if he were standing next to her, talking.  
  
[Clark? Clark, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault! Please don't be mad! I -]  
  
[Linda, calm down.] Clark's voice was soft and reassuring. [I'm not mad at you.]  
  
[You're not?]  
  
[No.]  
  
She paused. [Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?]  
  
[Linda, they're already here.]  
  
Linda cringed, and Clark actually felt the tears welling in her eyes. He had to keep his composure as he stood with the other reporters at the police tape. [Linda, it's okay.]  
  
[No, it's not okay. This is all my fault.]  
  
[How is this your fault?]  
  
[They were supposed to have the party yesterday, but they couldn't, because of the fire.]  
  
Clark sighed. [Linda, I -]  
  
"Clark!"  
  
Clark looked up and saw Pete approaching from the tunnel. [Linda, hold on.] The sheriff reached him, and he was immediately bombarded by questions from the other reporters.  
  
"Sheriff Ross, what are the Smallville Police doing to rectify this situation?"  
  
"What about the students? Are they hurt?"  
  
Pete held up his hands. "People, all I can tell you is the students are fine, and we are doing everything we can to get them out. Search and Rescue is working right now trying to figure out how to get to the kids without causing the tunnel to cave in." He turned to Clark. "Clark, can I talk to you for a moment?" He held up the police tape and let Clark on the other side, ignoring the protests of the other reporters.  
  
"So, what's the situation?" Clark asked quietly as the two friends headed towards the tunnel.  
  
"Search and Rescue's having a helluva time," Pete said. "They can't use any of their equipment, because the tunnel's so unstable. They're surprised it already hasn't caved in on the kids, though I have a feeling Linda's responsible for that." Clark nodded. "So, uh, any chance we'll be seeing Big Blue?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "I don't know yet," he replied. "As you said, this place is completely unstable, and I don't want to risk their safety."  
  
[Clark, what's going on?]  
  
Clark tensed, then he furrowed his eyebrows a bit, focusing. [It's okay, Linda, I'm just talking with Pete.]  
  
[But -]  
  
Clark's cell phone suddenly rang. Clark sighed. [Hold on, Linda.] Clark reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He answered it. "Clark Kent."  
  
"Okay, please tell me you have *something* on what's going on," Chloe replied. "Perry's riding me, and Lois is sitting here trying not to look ticked off at you."  
  
"I am not!" Lois said loudly nearby.  
  
Clark sighed. "How's this for starters?" he asked. "Linda's one of the students trapped in the tunnel."  
  
"Oh, Clark, I'm sorry," Chloe said, her voice becoming serious. "Is she okay?"  
  
"She's scared," Clark replied. "She thinks this is all her fault."  
  
"Linda thinks everything is her fault," Chloe said. There was a pause. "Uh, Clark, Perry wants to talk to you." There was silence, then -  
  
"Clark, what's going on?" Perry asked.  
  
"Chief, Linda's one of the trapped students," Clark answered. "And I know that you usually don't want reporters working on a story they're personally connected with, but please don't make me leave."  
  
"I'm not going to," Perry said. "And I assume Jimmy knows."  
  
"Yeah, he does."   
  
"Well, I'm not going to pull him either, even though I should yank both your butts out of there. The problem I face is that I would have to wait while the chopper comes back, two more of my employees get on it, and they go back to Smallville; that's at least two hours of us being away from the story, and I'm not going to risk us missing anything. Now, I want you two to do your job, but if you need to get off this story for any reason, let me know. I'll understand."  
  
"Thanks, Chief," Clark said. He hung up and put his phone away. [Linda, can you hear me?]  
  
[Yeah, I can hear you.]  
  
[How are you holding up?]  
  
[I'm scared, Clark. I wanna go home.]  
  
[I know, Linda, but don't worry. We're working on this; I promise. Now, I'm going to talk to some of the Search and Rescue people and find out what they're planning on doing.]  
  
[Clark, please don't go.]  
  
[Linda, I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. If you need to talk to me, I'm right here.] There was silence. [Linda?]  
  
[Okay.]  
  
Clark nodded and turned to Pete. "I'm going to go talk with the S&R team," he said. "Could you go back and stay with Linda? She's still pretty uptight."  
  
"Sure," Pete replied. He hurried back into the cave, and Clark headed back over to his parents.  
  
"What's going on?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Linda's scared," Clark replied.  
  
"You talked to her?" Martha asked.  
  
Clark tapped his head a couple of times with his finger, and his parents nodded. "Do you want me to tell her anything?"  
  
"Tell her that we love her," Jonathan said.  
  
"I will," Clark replied. He sighed. "I need to go find out what's going on." He nodded, leaving his parents, maintaining the connection with his baby cousin as he headed towards the Search and Rescue post.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda leaned back and squeezed her eyes shut, straining. The lights in the rocks were flickering, and the cracks in the ceiling were getting bigger. Tears squeezed through her eyes as she fought to keep her concentration. She knew she shouldn't be getting this tired so quickly, but there was no sunlight in the cave, and her reserves were close to being spent.  
  
"I can't," she whispered, both vocally and telepathically. "I can't do it."  
  
"Linda, you're doing just fine," Pete said soothingly. "You're doing a great job."  
  
[Linda, you can do it.]  
  
"No, I can't," speaking to both her cousin and Pete at the same time. "I'm so tired."  
  
"I know you are, Linda," Pete said. "And we're working as fast as we can to get you out, but you need to stay strong."  
  
[Linda, I know it's hard right now, but I know you can do it. Mom and Dad and I love you, and we believe you can do this.]  
  
Linda started sinking slowly into the water. "No, I can't," she whispered slowly, her eyes slowly closing.  
  
- - - -  
  
Jimmy tried to keep his mind off of the seriousness of the situation as he snapped photos of the officers, but his mind kept drifting back to Linda. He knew he shouldn't have worried about her (he didn't think he had that right), but he couldn't help it. He looked back at the tunnel, and his mind started racking for a way to get past that yellow tape. He had to know what was going on with her - he had to. The young photographer hurried over to one part of the taped off area, a part no one was really guarding or paying attention to. Nonchalantly, he scooted under the tape and carefully made his way to the tunnel unnoticed.  
  
He tried not to think about how much trouble he knew he was going to be in when it was all said and done as he carefully picked his way down the dark tunnel, cursing himself for not having a light or anything, but it wasn't completely dark; he could see the outline of the tunnel, which made him feel a little more at ease about what he was doing. He stopped when he heard a soft voice up ahead, and then he strained to listen. He recognized the voice belonging to Pete. He knew he probably wasn't one of the sheriff's favorite people, especially after the fiasco he pulled with Linda last month, but he decided to take a risk and slowly walked over.  
  
Pete heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and he stiffened, remembering the time Zor-El snuck up behind him. He kept his hand on his sidearm as he turned around and shone his flashlight at the newcomer. The last person he was expecting to see was Jimmy standing in the tunnel.  
  
"Pete?" Linda said, sounding like she was far away, her voice laced with fear and frailty. "Pete?"  
  
Pete glanced at the rock, then he looked back at the young photographer. Jimmy could see the sheriff's expression was dead serious, but it wasn't directed at Jimmy. Pete took a deep breath and nodded, silently telling Jimmy he could stay.  
  
"Pete, I tried," Linda said, her voice barely audible. "I really did. I just . . . I'm sorry, Pete. I just can't. I'm sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me. I tried, Pete, I really tried. I just . . ." her voice started fading "can't . . . ."  
  
Jimmy looked at Pete, who looked alarmed and determined, but before Pete could do anything Jimmy turned to the rock. "Yes, you can, Linda," he said. "You can do it. Whatever you have to do, you can do it." He paused, listening, imagining he could hear her breathing. "Trust Pete - he's a smart man and a good friend, he knows what he's talking about." No response. He needed to know she was okay, that his young friend would get through this; he needed to be sure she was listening to him, at least. "You can do it, whatever has to be done, you can do it. If there's anyone who can make this work, it's you." He took a deep breath, his voice firmer and more commanding. "Trust yourself, Kara Linda Kent." He paused again, letting his voice drop to a more reassuring tone. "I do."  
  
Linda's eyes slowly opened, and she craned her neck and looked up at the wall of rocks. She recognized Jimmy's voice and heard everything he said to her, faint as his voice sounded. "Jimmy?" she whispered, putting her hand up against the rock.  
  
"Yeah," Jimmy said. He couldn't see Linda, but he still put his hand against the rock, almost like he could feel her hand. "I'm here, Linda."  
  
- - - -  
  
Clark was only listening to the head of the Search and Rescue team as kept his telepathy focused on his cousin.  
  
[Jimmy?]  
  
The reporter jerked his head up. He had heard Linda's voice as clearly as if she was standing next to him. He looked around the scene, trying to find out what had happened to his young friend, and he couldn't see him anywhere. Then it hit him. He looked over at the tunnel entrance and sighed. "Jimmy, what are you up to?" he whispered softly to himself. He discreetly lowered his glasses and switched to his X-ray vision. He saw the two skeletons on the outside of the rock wall. One of them had a camera slung over his neck and he had his hand on the rock. Clark saw a skeleton on the other side of the rock wall, and he assumed it was Linda. He could see her hand was also touching the rock. He switched back to his regular vision and focused his super hearing on them.  
  
"Yeah . . . I'm here, Linda," Jimmy whispered.  
  
"It's all my fault," Linda said tearfully.  
  
"Linda, I seriously doubt that," Jimmy replied. There was a pause. "Hey, how was your first day of school."  
  
"Sucked," Linda said. Clark raised his eyebrows, wondering where she picked up *that* word. He made a mental not to talk with her about her choice of words later on - among other things.  
  
"Oh, what happened?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"There was a fire in my first period," Linda answered. "And it really, really scared me."   
  
"I'm sorry," Jimmy said sincerely. "I bet your second day was better."  
  
"Yeah, it was," Linda replied. "Sort of. I mean, I made some friends and stuff, but . . . ."  
  
"But what?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"But I caused another mess for my parents," Linda said tearfully.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I gave them a list of the supplies I needed for my art class," Linda replied in between sniffles. "And I overheard them talking about how they can't afford them." Clark closed his eyes and sighed. "So, I talked with my teacher this morning before school started . . . and I told her I couldn't take her class anymore."  
  
"What did she say?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"I don't know," Linda replied. "I walked out before I could give her a chance to tell me to stay." She sniffled. "And now Mom and Dad are going to be mad at me for quitting." She started crying softly. "I don't know what to do, Jimmy."  
  
"Linda, I don't think they're going to be mad at you for quitting," Jimmy said. "Trust me, I've known them for a couple of years now; they're not petty people." He sighed. "Look, I know this probably won't mean anything, and I know you have no reason to really believe me, but they care more about you than any class you take."  
  
There was silence, then . . .  
  
"You really think so?" Linda asked.  
  
"I know so," Jimmy answered.  
  
Clark smiled a bit before refocusing back to normal hearing. He listened to the S&R director for a few more moments, and then he left the group when he wasn't hearing any new developments on how to get the teenagers out of the cave. The reporter knew his parents and the others would want an update of what was going on, more so from someone they trusted and knew. He hurried over to where the parents and other family members were waiting.   
  
"Mom, Dad," he said as he walked up to his parents.  
  
"Clark, please tell me they're doing something," Martha replied. "What are they doing to get our daughter out of there?"  
  
"They don't know what to do," Clark said. "The tunnel is too unstable, and they think any attempt to use their equipment might result in another collapse."  
  
"Even with what Linda's doing?" Jonathan asked quietly.  
  
Clark nodded and lowered his voice. "She's getting tired, and there's no sunlight reaching her to help her recharge. I don't think she can keep it supported much longer." He sighed. "I think it's time to bring in the big guns." Jonathan and Martha looked at each other and then back at Clark, and they nodded. They watched as their son headed out of the gorge.  
  
A few moments later, everyone looked up as they heard a whooshing sound. They watched as Superman descended from the sky and landed near the S&R director. "Sorry I couldn't get here sooner," the hero said, "but is there anything I can do to help?"  
  
(End of Chapter 16) 


	17. Chapter 17

- - - -  
  
Jonathan and Martha watched as their son talked with the Search and Rescue. They couldn't hear anything he was saying, but they both had confidence that Clark was taking care of things.   
  
"Do you think he can really help?" The Kents turned and saw Grey and Lacey Malverne, Dick's parents, standing nearby. They looked completely worn out with fear and concern for their son.  
  
"Yeah, he can," Jonathan said. He tried not looking like a proud father as he glanced at his son, but it was very hard. "Trust us, Superman is the best person to have here right now."  
  
"But our son is in there," Grey replied with a little more force.  
  
"And so is our daughter," Martha said calmly.  
  
"But she's only adopted," Lacey replied a bit harshly. "Not like Dick." The Kents were both taken aback by what Lacey had said, just as she suddenly realized what she said and she looked apologetic at the Kents. "Martha, Jonathan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." The Malvernes had also experienced trouble in having children of their own; they had tried for years and years to have their own children, and after several miscarriages and still births they gave birth to Dick. The Kents knew about the Malvernes' difficulties, something they could relate to, but Lacey's remark still hurt.  
  
"It's perfectly understandably," Jonathan replied, forcing a smile as he put his arm around his wife. "Excuse us." He steered his wife away from the other couple, and they headed to an isolated area.  
  
"She didn't mean it, Jonathan," Martha said quietly, even though her face and her voice betrayed her emotions.  
  
"I know," Jonathan replied. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down; it was a minute before his anger began dissolving. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he saw his son walking over with the Search and Rescue team. The hero approached the group of reporters and parents.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please," Superman said, his voice deep and carrying over the din. He glanced up as Pete and Jimmy appeared at the entrance of the tunnel, then he turned back as Jimmy - along with the other cameramen - started snapping photographs. "I have spent some time talking with Search and Rescue, and they have informed me that there's a tunnel adjacent to the one the students are trapped in. They have also informed me of the instability of the tunnel the students are in, and that is why they can't attempt to drill into the tunnel from the side."  
  
"This isn't news," a reporter shouted. "We already know this. Is there anything new you can tell us, Superman?"  
  
"I have presented a possible solution to Search and Rescue," Superman continued. "I will attempt to use my heat vision to melt into the wall of the tunnel. This won't create any vibrations that might jeopardize the tunnel's integrity."  
  
"What about our children?" Grey asked. "Won't they be burned if you do that?"  
  
"No," Superman replied. "My heat vision is very concentrated; your children won't be in any danger." He paused and looked at the faces of the parents staring back at him; he stared at his parents. "I promise we'll get them all out." He left the group with the Search and Rescue team, and the parents and reporters watched as they headed off towards the second tunnel.  
  
- - - -  
  
Linda leaned against the wall of the tunnel and looked around. The water level was now at her shoulder level, and the rocks glowed dimly under the water; if the situation hadn't been so serious, the lights would have been beautiful. Her body was shaking, and she had to lock her knees, or she knew she would sink into the water; it would be so easy to give up, but she knew the others - Dick, Buzz, Gina, Darrien, and the rest of them - were depending on her, and she knew Jimmy and Pete and Clark and her parents were out there, and she couldn't let them down.  
  
"Hey, you okay?"  
  
Linda looked over at Dick, who was standing next to her, looking concerned. "I'm fine," she whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I want to go home, Dick."  
  
"I know," Dick said as he put an arm around her. "We're going to get out of here . . . somehow."  
  
[Linda? Can you hear me?]  
  
Linda glanced at the opposite wall, almost as if the voice had come from beyond it. [Clark?]  
  
[Yeah, it's me, Linda.]  
  
[Clark, I'm so sleepy. I want to go home. And the water's at my shoulders. ]  
  
[I know. We're going to try something to get you out.]  
  
[We?]  
  
[I have Search and Rescue with me and we're standing in a tunnel beside you. Can you see where we are?]   
  
Linda strained, but she managed to switch to her x-ray vision and saw ten skeletons on the other side of the opposite wall briefly before her vision reverted back to normal. [Yeah.]  
  
[I'm going to try melting the wall over here. It shouldn't cause any vibrations, but just to be on the safe side I'm going to need your help.]  
  
[My help? You need me?]  
  
[Yes, I need you to focus everything on keeping the ceiling stable. I know you're tired, honey, but can you do this for me?]  
  
[But what about the light?]  
  
[What light?]  
  
[The glowing rocks.]  
  
[Linda, are you near meteor rocks?]  
  
[No, Clark. They're quartz rocks. I refracted my heat vision in them to light up the place, and I'm using part of my telekinesis to keep the light in them so no one will get scared.] There was silence. [Clark?]  
  
[Uh, I'm here, Linda.] Linda could tell he sounded in awe at what she was able to do. [Uh, do you think we could talk about that later on?]  
  
[Did I do something else wrong?]  
  
[No, sweetie, you didn't. I just want to know how you did it - later. Now, we need to concentrate on getting you and the others out. And I'm going to need your help. You need to focus all of your energy on keeping the ceiling stabilized, even if that means letting the light in the rocks go out. Do you think you can do that?]  
  
Linda hesitated, but she looked at her fellow students. She was so tired, but she knew she had to at least try. [I think so.]  
  
[Good girl. Just let me know when you're ready, and we'll start.]  
  
Linda glanced at the glowing rocks, then she looked up at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, she let go of her telekinetic hold on the rocks and redirected it to the ceiling. The light in the rocks slowly dimmed, and soon the tunnel was plunged into darkness.  
  
"What happened?" Darrien asked. "It's dark again!"  
  
"We're going to die!" another guy shouted.  
  
"We're not going to die," Linda said, straining, her voice shaking. [Clark, I'm ready. Hurry . . . please.]  
  
[Okay, sweetie. I'm going to start now.]  
  
Linda waited and kept her attention focused on the ceiling, and then she waited. And waited. And -  
  
"Hey, what's that?" Dick asked.  
  
Linda and the others looked to where Dick was pointing, and they saw a small pinpoint light high up on the opposite wall. They all watched in silence as the hole slowly grew larger and larger, and the rock turned to slag, dripping into the water, sizzling. The hole grew and grew as more rock melted into slag, the water started draining, and everyone could see the source was Superman standing on the other side, using his heat vision to melt the rock. Behind him were a few Search and Rescue workers, and they were standing ready to help.  
  
The hole grew until it was about four feet tall and three feet in width, and most of the water had drained out until it was just below Linda's knees when Superman stepped in. He glanced briefly at Linda, thankful she looked to be in one piece and wanting to take his cousin in his arms and whisk her back to the farm, but he knew he couldn't. He looked at the other students.  
  
"Okay, let's get you guys out of here," he said. He carefully helped Buzz and Gina over to the hole, and the Search and Rescue workers tended to them. Superman looked at the other students. "Anybody else hurt?" The teens shook their heads. "Alright, then, let's go." He helped the students out of the hole one at a time, glancing over at his cousin. He could see she was straining to focus, and he glanced up at the ceiling. The cracks were getting larger, and he could feel vibrations starting up. "Okay, kids, let's go. Come on!" The students scurried out at a faster pace, and then Superman looked back at his cousin. He sighed when he saw Dick staying with her.  
  
"Linda, come on, let's go," Dick said, trying to tug her towards the hole, but she stayed where she was.  
  
"You go first," Linda said. "Please, go!"  
  
"I'm not leaving you!" Dick replied.  
  
"Kid, go," Superman ordered. "I'll get Linda."  
  
Dick looked at Superman and saw the expression on his face that said 'don't make me say it again.' He glanced back at Linda, like he was really considering staying, but he sighed and scurried for the hole as Superman hurried over to his cousin. Dick had been helped through the hole by the Search and Rescue worked when he heard a loud rumble. He turned around in time to see the entire ceiling come crashing down.  
  
"Linda!" he shouted as he lunged for the wall, but he was stopped by the workers.  
  
Outside, everyone heard the loud rumble and looked toward the second tunnel as the workers and the students came out, coughing. Someone shouted for some paramedics, and the parents rushed off towards their kids as the reporters stood off to one side and watched. Martha and Jonathan frantically looked for their children, but they couldn't find them.  
  
"Linda!" Jonathan shouted. He and Martha suddenly looked over as Dick was shouting at one of the workers, even as his parents tried to hug him.  
  
"We gotta go back and get her!" Dick shouted. "She's still in there!"  
  
"Dick, where's Linda?" Martha asked.  
  
"She's still in there," Dick said, trying not to cry. "I tried to get her out, honest, but Superman told me to go on and that he would get her, and I got out, and then the ceiling fell in on her and Superman."  
  
"Oh, God, no," Martha whispered as she and Jonathan looked at the first tunnel. She gripped her husband's hands right before they heard another loud rumbling and then a horrific boom. Everyone stopped and stared at the tunnel as a cloud of dust rolled out. Everything was still, and Martha and Jonathan tried to see through the dust, but it was so thick. It seemed like an eternity, but they could see the outline of someone heading towards them. The figure broke through the dust cloud, and everyone could see Superman carrying Linda in his arms. They were both covered in dust, and Linda looked dazed and exhausted, but she was in one piece, and that was all that mattered to the Kents as they hurried over to their children.  
  
"Sweetie, are you okay?" Martha asked as she smoothed Linda's hair from her face.  
  
"I'm fine," Linda said, softly, her eyes barely open. "I'm sorry . . . it's all my fault . . . ." She was starting to doze off, leaning her head against Clark's chest.  
  
"We'll talk about that later," Jonathan said, his voice calm and soothingly. "Right now, let's get you home." He reached for his daughter, but he remembered that he wouldn't be able to support her when she was barely conscious. He had to close his eyes tightly, frustrated that he couldn't even carry his own daughter, then he sighed and looked up at his son.  
  
"I'll take her to the truck," Superman replied softly.  
  
"Thanks, Clark," Jonathan whispered. He put an arm around his wife's shoulders, and they headed towards the path leading out of the gorge while police - with the aid of Pete - kept the reporters at bay. Standing next to the sheriff, Jimmy watched the hero with Linda and snapped off a few photos, thankful that his young friend was safe. When they were out of his sight he turned back to the parents and their families and snapped off more shots of the reunions as the workers and officers started milling about.  
  
(End of Chapter 17) 


	18. Chapter 18

- - - -  
  
Linda could barely keep her eyes open as she rested against the soft downy pillows. Jonathan and Martha had helped get her into dry clothes and dry her hair, then they gently tucked her under the soft sheets and plush comforter of her bed. Streaky and Krypto were both under the sheets, nuzzled next to the young girl. Clark would have joined his family, but but his alter ego had been asked to stay behind and help clean up the area, and Clark had agreed. Linda was almost scared to be left alone with her parents without Clark around, but she figured they would all gang up on her anyway, so she was thankful he wasn't there.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's all my fault."  
  
"Linda, you weren't responsible for the cave-in," Jonathan said gently.  
  
"Yes, I was," Linda said. "They said they were supposed to be there yesterday, but they didn't want to get caught after I started the fire with my heat vision, so they went there today." Jonathan and Martha glanced at each other briefly before looking back at Linda.  
  
"Linda, it wouldn't have mattered if they went yesterday or today," Martha replied. "That tunnel was unstable. If they had gone yesterday as planned, then you wouldn't have been there, and they could have died. You saved their lives, sweetie."  
  
"So, you're not mad at me?" Linda asked.  
  
"We're not mad, Linda," Jonathan answered. "We're very proud of you for helping the other students. However, we do need to discuss why you decided to skip school in the first place."  
  
"I wanted to be with my friends," Linda said softly. "I never had friends before."  
  
"We know that, Linda," Martha replied, "and we understand that you want to be with your friends, and we don't want to keep you from them, but there's a time and place for everything, and you really need to learn that."  
  
"You mean rules, huh?" Linda asked.  
  
"Yes, we mean rules," Jonathan answered. "There are rules everywhere you go, not just here on the farm. And one of the most important rules that you need to learn is that you can't just leave school whenever you feel like it. You have a responsibility as a student of that school to be there as much as you can, unless you're sick or you have a problem with your powers. You also have a responsibility to attend all your classes and do all your homework and have a good time. Do you understand what we're saying?"  
  
Linda nodded slowly. "Yeah." She was tempted to tell them about dropping out of her art class, but she decided not to. "Does this mean I'm in trouble again?" Jonathan and Martha shared a look, and Martha nodded slightly. They looked back at their daughter.  
  
"No, you're not in trouble, honey," Jonathan replied. "We think you've learned your lesson. Besides, you get one freebie for each new lesson learned, so consider this one your freebie. Next time, you will be punished."  
  
"But that doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet," Martha added. "The school might feel differently about you breaking one of their rules. You could possibly be looking at a suspension, Linda." Linda looked confused. "It's a bad thing that means you won't be allowed in school for a period of time."  
  
Linda opened her mouth to ask a question, but the phone rang. Martha, being the closest, reached over and answered it. "Hello . . . oh, hi . . . yes, she's fine. She's resting right now . . . yes . . . that's very generous . . . ah, okay . . . well, thank you for letting us know . . . yes, we'll make sure she's there . . . alright, thank you again." Martha hung up and turned back to her family. "That was Assistant Principal Jefferson. She was calling to let us know that all the students are fine, and that she and Principle Turner discussed appropriate punishments for all the students involved."  
  
"And?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"No one's going to be suspended," Martha answered. "They feel everyone learned their lesson and won't be pulling something like that again. However, they don't want to have them go unpunished, so everyone is getting a day of Saturday detention at different time periods. Linda's will be this Saturday."  
  
"Detention?" Linda asked fearfully. "What is detention?" It sounded like a horrible punishment.  
  
"It's where you sit for a few hours in a room by yourself and think about what you did," Jonathan asked. "You won't be allowed to leave or talk or do anything but just sit there."  
  
Linda got this look of pure fear in her eyes as she shook her head. "No," she said tearfully. "Please don't make me go there. I don't want detention. Please."  
  
"Oh, sweetie, it's okay," Martha said as she scooted beside her daughter, careful not to squish Krypto. "It's just for a few hours. You'll be fine."  
  
"But that's what my father would make me do," Linda said as she started crying. "After he beat me, he'd make me sit in a chair in a room with no windows. I was hurting and scared, but he made me sit there and stay quiet." She cried into her mother's shoulder. "I don't want detention." Martha looked at her husband as he came over and put his arms around Linda from the other side.  
  
"Linda," Jonathan said, his voice low and soothing, "no one is going to hurt you Saturday, but if you really don't want to have detention, we'll talk with Principal Turner and see if we can work out something else you can do."  
  
"Like chores?" Linda asked, sniffling.  
  
"Sort of," Jonathan replied. He felt her relax his arms, and he kissed her forehead. "Now, why don't you get some rest? You've had a busy day."  
  
"I'm not sleepy," Linda said, yawning.  
  
"Uh huh," Jonathan replied, smiling a bit at his wife. She smiled back as she helped lay Linda back until she was resting against the pillows. The young girl was completely asleep as the Kents tucked her in once again and carefully positioned themselves around the sleeping pets. The two Kents cocooned themselves around their daughter and just watched her as she slept.  
  
- - - -  
  
A white pickup truck pulled up and parked beside the barn. A young, dark-haired woman got out and looked around. Seeing no activity, she reached back into the truck and pulled out a large cardboard box wrapped in purple paper. It was quite heavy, but the woman managed to lift it out and carry it into the barn. She made her way up the stairs to the loft and carefully set the box on the aged coffee table. She looked around, admiring her surroundings. Satisfied that the box would be okay she headed back down the stairs, out the barn, and got into her truck. She wore a huge grin on her face as she started the engine and drove off.  
  
- - - -  
  
It was late in the afternoon when a rental car pulled up to the gravel drive and parked next to the Kents' vehicles. Jonathan was coming out of the barn, carrying the large wrapped box as Clark and Jimmy got out; the farmer smiled at the two as he walked over.  
  
"Hey, you two," Jonathan said. "Everything get taken care of?"  
  
"Hey, Dad," Clark replied. "Yeah, Superman helped clean up the area, and the chopper had to be called back for another story. We're going to head back to Metropolis soon, but we wanted to check on Linda. How is she?"  
  
"She's resting up in her room," Jonathan answered. He shuffled the box around, getting a better grip. Clark reached over and took the box. "Thanks, son."  
  
"So, what's in the box?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"Not sure, Jimmy," Jonathan replied. "I went to do my chores, went up to the loft to get some hay down, and saw the box in the Fortress. Don't know who it's from, but I have a feeling it's for Linda." He looked at the sun as it started sinking towards the horizon. "Look, it's a long drive back to Metropolis. Why don't you two stick around for dinner." The two looked like they were going to object, so Jonathan herded them towards the house. "And that wasn't a request, so get going."  
  
The three men headed up and into the house, where Martha was making a cappuccino. She glanced up at the three men and smiled. "Hi, guys," she said. "I was just making cappuccinos for Linda and myself. Anyone else up for one?"  
  
"No thanks, sweetie," Jonathan said. Clark and Jimmy shook their heads.  
  
"What's in the box?" Martha asked, noticing the large package in her son's hands.  
  
"We're not sure," Jonathan replied. "I found it in the loft. I don't know who it's from, but it's for Linda." Martha eyed the package warily, and Clark noticed.  
  
"It's okay, Mom," Clark replied. "I have a feeling it's okay." He gave her a subtle wink that Jimmy didn't see.  
  
Martha nodded, understanding. "Well, Linda's awake, so we can take it up to her." She noticed Jimmy. "Oh, and you can join us too, Jimmy."  
  
"Oh, I don't want to intrude, Mrs. Kent," Jimmy said.  
  
"You won't," Martha replied. "And I'm sure Linda would be happy to see you." Jimmy looked reluctant, but he joined the Kents as they headed up the stairs and down the hall to Linda's bedroom. The door was open, and they walked in, seeing Linda sitting up, quietly playing with Krypto and Streaky on the bed. She looked tired as she glanced up, but she smiled.  
  
"Hi," she said softly. She noticed Clark behind the large box and smiled a bit. "Clark." Then she noticed Jimmy standing next to him. "Jimmy. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Wanted to see how you were doing, that's all," Jimmy replied. "How you feeling?"  
  
"Still tired," Linda answered. "Thanks for talking to me in the tunnel."  
  
"No sweat," Jimmy replied, smiling. He caught Jonathan and Martha looking at him with 'what are you talking about, mister?' expressions, and he decided to change the subject. He noticed the animals on Linda's bed. "Uh, so these must be Krypto and Streaky, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, these are them," Linda said. She held up the pets. "You want to hold them?"  
  
Jimmy glanced at the Kents, not sure if it was okay, but they silently told him he could. He slowly walked over and took Krypto first, bringing the pup up to eye and nose level. He smiled as Krypto squirmed in his grasp, trying to lick and gum the tip of the photographer's nose. Finally, Krypto stopped and just stared at Jimmy, and Jimmy stared right back at him; the two just looked deep into each other's eyes, having a sort of spiritual communion. After a few moments Krypto let out a small bark. Jimmy laughed.  
  
"Hello to you too, little fella," he said. He looked down when he felt something batting his leg and saw Streaky patting his leg with her paw. She looked up at him, meowing loudly, almost like she was telling him she hated being ignored. Jimmy gently set Krypto back on the bed and picked up Streaky. "Don't worry, I didn't forget about you, kid." He started scratching the kitten behind her ears, and Streaky immediately forgave the photographer for his indiscretion as she started nuzzling against him, purring. Jimmy put her back down on the bed, and Streaky went back to batting Krypto's ears.  
  
"I think they approve of me," Jimmy chuckled as the pets jumped from the bed and scurried around everyones' feet and out into the hall.  
  
"Of course they do," Linda replied. "I told them that if they ever met you, they had to like you, because you're my friend." She was glad she made Jimmy smile as she looked over at the box her cousin was holding. "Clark, what's that?"  
  
"We're not sure," Clark said, "but we think it's for you." He came over and set the box on the bed in front of the young girl.  
  
"You mean, like a present?" Linda asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," Clark replied.  
  
Linda blinked back tears. She had never gotten presents before coming to Smallville, and even with all the gifts her new family and friends had given her, she still valued each one as a treasured in itself. She looked up at her parents as they came over, and they nodded, letting her know that it was okay. The young girl took a deep breath and carefully tore the wrapping paper off the box. She pulled back the loosely taped flaps and peeked inside. She gasped softly.  
  
Nestled in the box were all kinds of art supplies: charcoal kits, paints, brushes, pencils, gum erasers, drawing paper, sketching pad, oils, chalks, modeling clays, sculpting tools, and even a folded up easel. Linda took each item out and examined it. Jonathan and Martha glanced over at Clark, who shrugged.  
  
"I don't know anything," he said.  
  
"Then where did they come from?" Martha asked.  
  
Clark peered into the box and saw a folded up piece of paper with Linda's name scrawled on it. He took it out and unfolded it. "It's a letter," he said.  
  
"What does it say?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"'Dear Linda,'" Clark read, "'first of all I am very glad that you and the others are safe and sound after what happened today, you especially, because I didn't want our last encounter to be the one we had this morning. Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions concerning this gift, and let me see if I can explain this. Linda, you have an amazing talent for a person of your age, and I don't want to see that go to waste. I also wanted to let you know I was in your shoes when I was about your age, and I nearly lost the opportunity, but a really good friend of the family intervened and provided me with everything I needed to hone my talent, and now it's time for me to do the same with someone else, and I chose you. Please accept these supplies, Linda. All I ask for in return is that you don't waste the talent you have - it will take you farther than you can imagine. Sincerely, Miss Patterson.'"  
  
"Your art teacher?" Martha asked. "But I don't understand. How did she even know that we couldn't afford the art supplies."  
  
"Because I told her," Linda replied softly. Everyone looked at her.  
  
"How did you know that?" Jonathan asked, peering at his daughter.  
  
Linda sighed. "I overheard you talking about me last night, about how you couldn't afford these supplies, and I didn't want you to feel bad that you couldn't get them for me, so, I kind of told Miss Patterson I wouldn't be in her class anymore."  
  
"You quit art?" Clark asked.  
  
"I didn't want to cause any problems," Linda replied. "I thought it would be best for everyone."  
  
"It's not best for us when you're upset," Jonathan said, sitting next to his daughter and putting his arm around her, "and we know you really wanted to take art."  
  
"Which you will be continuing," Martha added as she sat on the other side of Linda, "starting tomorrow. Okay?" Linda nodded. "Good. Now, how does Miss Patterson know you have talent?"  
  
"She said so when she saw my sketch yesterday," Linda answered.  
  
"What was it of?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"My family," Linda whispered, ducking her head shyly.  
  
"Hey, there's something else in here," Clark said, peering into the box. He reached in and pulled out a large rolled up piece of paper tied with a purple ribbon. He untied the ribbon and unrolled the paper. His eyes widened in amazement as he stared at the paper.  
  
"What is it, Clark?" Jonathan asked.  
  
Clark turned the paper around, letting the others see it, and they were all amazed to see a beautiful pencil sketch of Jonathan, Martha, Clark, and Linda standing in front of the farm house. Everything was detailed, from the creases around Jonathan's eyes when he smiled down to the detail in the flowers hanging in the baskets on the porch. Everyone slowly looked at Linda, who looked down, embarrassed.  
  
"Linda, honey, this is beautiful," Martha said. "You did this all by yourself?" Linda nodded.  
  
"It's perfect," Clark replied, smiling.  
  
"Really?" Linda asked, looking up.  
  
"Of course," Jonathan answered. "It's amazing, sweetie."  
  
"Miss Patterson's right," Jimmy added. "You do have talent, Linda. This proves it." Linda smiled slightly.  
  
"You know, we need to do something with this," Jonathan said. He glanced at his daughter. "Would you mind if we framed this and hung it up with the other family photos? It'll be the first one there of the four of us, something that will mean so much to all of us."  
  
Linda had to bite her lower lip to keep from crying as she hugged her father, burying her head on his shoulder. She felt Martha's arms wrap around her from behind, and for the first time that day she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders as she nuzzled closer against her parents.  
  
(End Chapter 18) 


	19. Chapter 19

- - - -  
  
Linda snuggled against her pillows. It was late, hours after Clark and Jimmy left to go back to Metropolis, and she was very tired, but she couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried. The young girl looked over at her digital clock and groaned; it was after one. She sighed as she lay on her back and just stared up at the ceiling. Streaky woke up from her spot on Linda's pillow, yawned, and stretched. Then she curled up into a little ball and fell back asleep. Krypto lay curled at Linda's feet, sound asleep. Linda chuckled softly and snuggled back against her pillows, closing her eyes.  
  
Suddenly, the room was filled with a loud, high-pitched hum. Linda's eyes shot open, and she covered her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. Krypto and Streaky both bolted from their spots like bats out of hell, running around, barking and yowling at the top of their lungs. Linda opened her eyes slightly and looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from, and she saw a silver of light coming out of the top drawer of her nightstand. The young girl winced as she slowly leaned over and carefully opened the drawer.   
  
The hum got louder, and the light filled the room, and Linda nearly shut the drawer, but she forced herself to look into the drawer. She blinked back as her eyes focused on the source of the light - her octagonal key. The young girl slowly reached into the drawer and grabbed the key. The light faded, and the noise ceased, leaving Linda breathless and thankful that everything was once again quiet. Krypto and Streaky stopped running around. Linda stared at the key, in awe and confusion as to what happened when her bedroom door suddenly opened, and she saw Jonathan rush in with Martha behind him. Both of them had concerned expressions on their faces as they looked around and saw what was going on in their daughter's room.  
  
"Linda, are you okay?" Martha asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," Linda replied shakily.  
  
"What happened?" Jonathan asked. He saw her holding her key. "And what are you doing with that?"  
  
"It was giving off this incredible light," Linda replied, "and this high-pitched hum." She looked at the key, tilting her head. "It was calling to me." Jonathan snatched the key from her hand. "Dad, what are you doing?" The hum started up again, and the key shone brightly in Jonathan's hands, blinding them. Krypto and Streaky bolted out of the room, yowling and howling as they ran down the stairs. Linda grabbed the key from her father's hands, and the noise and light faded again.  
  
"Linda, what do you think you're doing?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Dad, the key's calling to me," Linda replied. "It's Rok-Var."  
  
"How do you know?" Jonathan asked. His voice was angry, but he tried not to let his anger be directed to his daughter. "For all we know, it could be Jor-El pulling another trick."  
  
"Because Jor-El didn't make this key, Dad," Linda replied. "Rok-Var made it, and he's calling to me - to the ship." She looked at her father, her eyes pleading. "Dad, I never got the chance to say goodbye to him. Please let me do this."  
  
Jonathan wanted to say no, to grab the key and destroy it, but he knew he couldn't do that to his daughter. He looked at the key, at his daughter, and then he sighed. "Okay," he said softly. "If you really want to do this, you can." Linda smiled gratefully. "But we're going to do this together - as a family." Jonathan turned to his wife. "Martha, would you call Clark and ask him to meet us at the storm cellar?" Martha nodded and left the room, and Jonathan turned back to Linda, smiling. "Now, let's get your shoes and jacket, okay?"  
  
- - - -  
  
Clark was dressed in casual civilian clothes as he landed near the opening of the storm cellar and walked down the stairs. He saw his parents and Linda waiting at the foot, staring at Linda's ship. The three of them wore their coats and shoes over their nightclothes. The tarp that used to cover the ship was pulled back, and Clark could see the shiny metal, even in the dim light.  
  
"What's going on?" Clark asked. Jonathan and Martha turned to their son, a little startled. "Mom was a little vague over the phone."  
  
"Linda's key called to her," Jonathan replied. He saw his son's wide-eyed expression. "Linda doesn't think it's from Jor-El."  
  
"Because it's not," Linda insisted. "It's from Rok-Var."  
  
"It's not that," Clark replied. "It just . . . ."  
  
"What is it, Clark?" Martha asked.  
  
"I woke up hearing a high-pitched hum earlier," Clark said slowly. "It went away after a few seconds, then it came back for a few seconds, then it stopped."  
  
"You heard the hum all the way from here?" Linda asked. "But the key's attuned to me. How could you hear it if it's attuned to me?"  
  
"I knew it," Jonathan said. "Something is not right here. You're not putting the key in the ship, Linda."  
  
"Why not?" Linda asked. "Just because Clark heard the hum, it doesn't mean something's wrong."  
  
"Why would Rok-Var attune the key to let Clark here it?" Jonathan asked. "He never even knew him."  
  
"He knew him enough to trust him to take care of me," Linda replied. "I was sent here, because this was where Clark was sent, and Rok-Var knew I would be safe with him." Jonathan didn't look convinced. "Dad, please, I know Jor-El caused problems for all of you, but it's not like that with Rok-Var; he was nothing like Jor-El."  
  
Jonathan sighed, his expression softening. He reached out and touched Linda's cheek with his hand. "I know he wasn't, sweetie," he said softly, "but I don't want to take the chance of something happening to you the way something happened to Clark."  
  
Linda had to bite her lip to keep from crying. "I know, Dad," she replied, her voice a mere whisper, "but nothing will."  
  
"How do you know?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Because I trusted Rok-Var with my life," Linda replied. "Dad, please, trust me the way I trusted Rok-Var."  
  
Jonathan sighed. "Honey, it's not you I don't trust," he said. Linda turned her head, looking hurt. "Sweetie, let's compromise: we'll let you do this, but if anything even remotely dangerous happens - anything - we get rid of the key. Can we agree on that?" Linda nodded, and Jonathan kissed her forehead. "That's my girl." Linda smiled and looked over at the ship, looking scared. "It's okay, Linda. We'll be right here."  
  
The young girl looked at her family before taking a deep breath. She slowly walked towards it, gripping the key tightly in her fingers. She stopped about ten feet from it and held the key up, the symbols facing her. The symbols started glowing red, blue, and yellow, and then the ship started glowing. Everyone watched in awe as the light got brighter as the ship started shaking and slowly rose into the air.  
  
"I am Rok-Var," a gentle voice emanated from the ship. It had a presence like Clark and Jonathan remembered Jor-El's having, but the voice from Linda's ship was softer, kinder. "If this message is being heard, then it means that Kara has survived her journey to Earth."   
  
"Rok-Var," Linda whispered, her eyes tearing up as she heard the voice of the man responsible for saving her life.  
  
"You sound sad, my Kara," the voice replied. "What is the matter?"  
  
"You're dead," Linda answered. "My father said he killed you. And it was my fault."  
  
"Do not mourn for me," the voice said. "I do not blame you for this; I knew what I was getting into a long time ago, and I accepted it, because it was the right thing to do."  
  
"But why?" Linda asked. "I didn't deserve it."  
  
"You didn't deserve the life you were born into," Rok-Var replied. "You deserved to be happy with people who could love you and take care of you and show you what it was like to really live."   
  
Clark leaned over to his father and said quietly, "I think we like this guy."  
  
"I think you don't get to decide who *we* like, young man," Jonathan replied just as quietly.  
  
"Well, what do you think, Jonathan?" Martha asked.  
  
Jonathan paused, then said, "I think we like this guy." He saw Clark and Martha giving him surprised expressions. "Okay, honestly, I like what we're hearing - so far."  
  
"I sense other life forms here," the voice said. "Kara, who is with you?"  
  
"Clark, and my parents," Linda replied.  
  
"Ah, so they managed to find you after all," Rok-Var replied. "That gives me a sense of peace, knowing you are safe with them."  
  
"What do you want with Linda?" Jonathan asked, stepping closer to his daughter.   
  
"I wanted to give her closure to her past, Jonathan Kent," the voice answered. "She left with many questions that I was unable to answer at the time; I want to have the chance to do that now."  
  
"Why didn't you come with me?" Linda asked. "Why did you have to stay behind?"  
  
"Because I didn't have time," the voice replied. "I wanted to so badly, but your life was in danger every second you were there, and it would have taken years to build something for me, and I didn't want to see your father hurt you any more than he already had."  
  
Linda asked softly, "Do you regret that?"  
  
"The only thing I regret," the voice answered, "was that I wasn't able to get you away from them sooner, and I hope that you can forgive me for that, my Kara."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"  
  
"Because I wanted you to have time to adjust to your new life," the voice replied. "I knew everything would be exciting and scary at the same time - and things are probably still that way to you. But more importantly, I knew it was going to be difficult for you to trust strangers after everything you've been through, and I didn't want to interfere with you building that trust you needed."  
  
"But I *need* you," Linda said tearfully, tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"No, you don't," the voice said. "Not anymore. You have people here who will be there for you - to love and protect you and guide you through your new life, shaping you into the person you were meant to be. But know this, my Kara: I may not be with you in a tangible way, but do not think I've left you. I've have always been with you, and I will always be with you."  
  
"I don't understand," Linda replied.  
  
"I will be in everything around you," the voice said. "The beat in your heart, the moonlight shining down on you every night, the sunshine in your hair every day, that little whisper in the wind you can barely hear . . . all those things and more. This is my last gift to you . . . my Kara." The light faded in the ship as it sank to the ground, leaving the four Kents alone in the dim darkness and quiet stillness once again.  
  
Linda stared at the ship, trying to process her emotions. She was grateful for the opportunity to be able to talk with her old teacher, in a sense, to be able to get some closure to her past, but she still missed him. Her tears started flowing, and she tried to stop them, but she couldn't. Her family immediately descended on her and cocooned her in a shell of warm, safe arms, supporting and protecting as her grief poured out.  
  
(End of Chapter 19) 


	20. Chapter 20

- - - -  
  
"So, you feeling better?" Mattie asked as she walked with Linda and Andy to the cafeteria the next day.  
  
"Yeah," Linda replied as she hugged her history book to her chest. She was still saddened by Rok-Var's message, but he told her he would always be with her, and the young girl had felt a presence with her ever since hearing that, giving her a sense of peace she didn't know she could have.  
  
"So, you gonna not do something that stupid again?" Andy asked.   
  
Linda gave her a look of disbelief. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Linda, it was stupid sneaking out with those kids," Andy continued. "You could have all gotten killed."   
  
Linda hung her head. "I'm sorry," she replied quietly.  
  
Mattie sighed. "Look, girl," she said, "we already chewed out Dick and Buzz yesterday, and they got chewed out by their parents, and we know your folks already talked to you, so we won't say anything more except this: you did something stupid and dangerous, and we don't like it when our friends do something stupid or dangerous."  
  
Linda looked up. "I'm your friend?" she asked.  
  
"Of course," Andy replied, slinging an arm around Linda's shoulders. "You are pretty cool . . . a little odd, but then again, who isn't?"  
  
Linda beamed as they headed into the cafeteria. They stopped short when they saw a table set off to one sign. A poster board sign was hung from it, and 'Mascot Tryout Sign-Up' was written across it in bold red letters. Linda tilted her head in confusion.  
  
"What is a mascot tryout?" she asked.  
  
"You dress up in a ridiculous costume and act like a complete goofball in front of everyone," Mattie said.   
  
"The purpose?" Linda asked.  
  
"To supposedly give the school team spirit to rally for the school teams during games," Andy answered.  
  
"So, they help the school team?" Linda asked.  
  
"Yeah," Andy said slowly.  
  
"Sounds like fun," Linda said. She left her friends and walked over to the table. The girl at the table - a junior in a cheerleading outfit - looked up. "Hi, I'd like to sign up."  
  
The cheerleader eyed Linda. "You're a bit . . . short," she said.  
  
"Is there a height requirement?" Linda asked.  
  
"Uh, no, but the mascots have usually been taller," the cheerleader replied.  
  
"Well, things don't always have to be like others, do they?" Linda asked. The cheerleader was speechless. "So, may I sign up?"  
  
"Don't even bother." Linda turned and saw three cheerleaders approaching her. The one who appeared to be the leader was blonde, but Linda could see her roots were a darker. The other two were flanking her, and they all wore too much make up and stared snootily at Linda.  
  
"Why not?" Linda asked.  
  
"Because the position has been filled," the leader said. "By me."  
  
"Then why is there a table saying that anyone can try out?" Linda asked.  
  
"Because it's a stupid formality," the girl on the leader's left replied. "The position is going to go to Cecilia; everyone knows it."  
  
"Who's Cecilia?" Linda asked.  
  
"Please tell me you're joking," the leader snorted. Linda looked at her blankly, and the leader rose to her full height, half a foot over Linda's. "Me, you little nit." Linda raised an eyebrow, and then Mattie and Andy came over, flanking Linda's side, getting into Cecilia's face.  
  
"Back off, Plastic Girl," Mattie said. Linda stood off to one side, watching wide-eyed as her friends faced off against the three cheerleaders. She looked into the cafeteria and saw other students were becoming interested in what was going on.  
  
"Harcourt, this doesn't concern you," Cecilia replied. "Unless the nit . . . wait, the little nit's with you? Should have known." She eyed Linda. "Look, if you don't want to humiliate yourself in front of the entire school you won't try out."  
  
"Oh, Linda's trying out," Andy said. "And she's going wipe the floor with you, so maybe you shouldn't try out - Cecilia."  
  
Cecilia snorted and laughed. "Really?" She looked Linda up and down, sizing her. "Yeah, I'm really concerned," she replied sarcastically. Her expression turned serious - almost deadly serious - as she faced Linda. "You've been warned - Linda. Now, it's war." She left, the two cheerleaders flanking her as she walked out of the cafeteria.   
  
Linda glanced at Andy and Mattie, waiting for them to say or do something as they watched Cecilia and her friends leave. "So," she said slowly, "now what?"  
  
"You're signing up," Mattie said. She walked to the table, snatched the clipboard from the cheerleading sitting down and scribbled Linda's name on it. She handed it back to the cheerleader when she was done, then smiled at Linda as she put her arm around her shoulder. "Now, we've got work to do."  
  
"What do you mean?" Linda asked.  
  
"You are going to be ready for that tryout," Andy said, slinging her arm around Linda, flanking the young girl's other side. "And we only have until Friday, so we got work to do."  
  
"But - but - but that's less than three days from now!" Linda protested as she was herded out of the cafeteria by her friends.  
  
"Don't worry, Linda," Mattie said. "We've worked miracles before."  
  
- - - -  
  
The Kents were at the kitchen table, drinking and reading the paper when the kitchen door opened and Linda walked in with Mattie and Andy behind her. The Kents watched with eyebrows raised as the newcomers chattered as they headed up the stairs as Linda stayed behind.  
  
"You mind telling us where they're going?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"To my room to look for music," Linda replied.  
  
"Any particular reason why?" Martha asked. They weren't worried about the girls accidentally discovering the key; Jonathan had hidden it alongside Clark's key in the toolbox in the barn.  
  
"Because I need to practice," Linda replied.  
  
"For?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Mascot tryout," Linda answered.  
  
Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows. "You want to run that by us again?"  
  
"There's a tryout for the school mascot," Linda replied.  
  
"Didn't they already choose one at the end of the last school year?" Martha asked.  
  
Linda nodded. "Yeah, but Mattie said the mascot's mother got a job in Edge City, so they moved before school started. Sign up was supposed to be on the first day, but it got pushed back because of the fire, and then again by what happened yesterday."  
  
"So, you signed up?" Martha asked.  
  
"Sort of," Linda replied.  
  
"Please explain," Jonathan said.  
  
"Well, the mascot helps the school team by getting the school to rally behind them," Linda explained, "and I thought it would be fun to try out, because I like helping." She looked a little confused.  
  
"And?" Jonathan pressed his daughter gently.  
  
"Well, there were these cheerleaders there who told me I shouldn't try out, because this one cheerleader - Cecilia - was going to get it," Linda said, "which didn't make sense, because I don't think she can predict the future. It was almost like she believed her position gave her an advantage."  
  
"Well, some people are like that, unfortunately," Jonathan replied.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Linda replied, immediately thinking of Zor-El.  
  
"So, you signed up to prove her wrong?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Actually, Mattie signed me up," Linda replied. "She and Andy said I would wipe the floor with Cecilia at the tryout." Jonathan and Martha smiled to each other, then looked back at their daughter. Her expression was less than pleased.  
  
"Sweetie, you don't want to try out?" Martha asked.  
  
"No, I do," Linda replied. "Mattie and Andy said they would help me get ready."  
  
"So, what's wrong?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Why were those cheerleaders so mean?" Linda asked, tilting her head. "I didn't do anything to them, and they talked down to me and called me names, like they thought they were better than me."  
  
Martha walked over and put her arm around her daughter. "I don't know why, honey," she replied. "Unfortunately, there are some people in the world who are just like that."  
  
"So, what do I do?" Linda asked. "I don't know how to dance or do anything that Mattie and Andy said they'd teach me."  
  
Jonathan walked over and put his hands on Linda's shoulders. "You go out there and you do the best you can," he replied. "That's all you can do."  
  
"But what if I mess up?" Linda asked. "What if Cecilia beats me and makes fun of me?"  
  
"As long as you do your best," Martha answered, "then it won't matter what Cecilia or anyone else says or does. We'll be proud of you for anything you do, and so will your friends. And that's all that matters." Linda slowly smiled and hugged her parents; they hugged her back, just as Mattie and Andy came bounding down the steps.  
  
"You don't have a big selection of music," Mattie said, "but I managed to scrounge up three CDs we can practice with today." She held up the CD cases in her hand - Evanescence's 'Fallen,' a collection of Beatles songs, and a homemade CD with songs Clark enjoyed listening to from his high school years. All three of them had been part of Clark's music collection, and he had given them to Linda a couple weeks ago.  
  
"Can we practice out in the barn?" Linda asked.  
  
"Sure," Jonathan replied. "Just don't forget to do your chores afterwards." Linda nodded, and she and her friends headed out of the kitchen.  
  
"So, you're really okay with her trying out?" Martha asked.  
  
"Yeah, I don't mind," Jonathan replied. "I know this is going to sound bad, but I don't think she really has a chance at winning, so, there's no harm in letting her try out."  
  
Martha nodded. She knew what her husband was inferring with his remark. "And in the off chance that she does happen to get the position?"  
  
Jonathan sighed. "Honestly, even if she gets it, we shouldn't have anything to worry about. I mean, how much trouble could she get into in a crow costume?"   
  
Martha shook her head and smiled. "Whatever you say, honey." She went back to the table and picked up where she left off in her reading.  
  
- - - -  
  
It was late afternoon when Jonathan walked into the barn. He stopped just inside the open doors and watched the activity inside. He smiled with amusement as he saw his daughter learning some modern - and some not so modern - dance steps from her new friends as Evanescene played loudly from the small stereo Linda kept in the loft. She seemed to be enjoying herself, even with Mattie and Andy barking - in a friendly tone - orders.  
  
"Come on, Linda, kick higher!" Mattie said over the din.  
  
"Show more spirit!" Andy added.  
  
"I'm showing spirit!" Linda replied. She pumped her arms as she danced. "Go, Crows!"  
  
"No, no, no, no!" Mattie shook her head. "Linda, honey, if you want to be the mascot, you can't just start shouting stuff. You gotta . . . be the crow."  
  
"Be the crow?" Linda asked.  
  
"Yeah, be the crow," Andy said as she smiled.  
  
"I'm being the crow!" Linda replied. "I'm rallying, I'm dancing, I'm cawing . . . what else do you want me to do - fly?"  
  
Mattie burst out laughing. "Girl, quit tripping - you're not Superman, you know."  
  
But I *am* his cousin, Linda thought. Give me a few years. She brushed some hair back from her face and glanced over, seeing her father leaning against the open barn door, arms folded, smiling. "Hi, Dad."  
  
"Hi, sweetheart," he said. "How's practice coming?"  
  
"Not bad, Mr. Kent," Mattie said. "Linda's got some talent."  
  
"But we're still got a lot of work to do," Andy added,  
  
Jonathan smiled. "Well, you have time, but no more practice tonight. It's close to dinner time, and Linda has chores and homework to do." He turned as he heard the sound of two vehicles approached, then turned back to the three girls. "Mattie, Andy, I believe your parents are here to pick you up." Mattie and Andy grabbed their things, said goodbye to Linda and Jonathan, and then hurried out of the barn. Linda walked over to her father and watched as her friends got into their parents' cars and left.  
  
"So, are you enjoying yourself?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Yeah," Linda replied, nodding. "Mattie and Andy are drilling me, but . . . I like it. It's really fun."  
  
Jonathan smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. "Well, I'm glad. Now, dinner's almost ready. How about those chores?"  
  
Linda nodded and blurred back into the barn, mucking out stalls, getting hay from the loft, and tidying up everything at superspeed. Seven seconds later, she stopped next to her father, grinning. "Done," she said.  
  
Jonathan chuckled and put an arm around her. "Good job, sweetie," he said. Together, they walked out of the barn, heading for the house.  
  
(End of Chapter 20) 


	21. Chapter 21

- - - -  
  
Friday, 8:30AM  
  
Smallville High Gymnasium  
  
Clark sat beside his mother in the bleachers, his father was on the other side of Martha. He had come to Smallville to support his baby cousin, and he was currently fiddling with the camcorder Chloe let him borrow. They were surrounded by other kids and parents, talking and chattering. The football team was sitting on the sideline, in uniform. Clark reporter gently banged the side, trying to get the viewfinder to function.  
  
"Clark," Jonathan said as he leaned over, "please be careful. That is Chloe's."  
  
"I'm trying, Dad," Clark replied. The viewfinder finally turned on. "There." He looked through the viewfinder and was glad the camcorder was working. "Okay, now let's bring on the candidates." He glanced at his parents. "You think she's really ready for this?"  
  
Jonathan shrugged. "I don't know, Clark. Mattie and Andy helped her all they could, but they told us they weren't sure how ready she was."   
  
"So, why is she doing this?" Clark asked.  
  
Martha shrugged. "She thinks she can help the team by doing this, and you know she loves to help." She was thankful that the candidates were being presented anonymously, because as much as she believed in her daughter, she wasn't sure if Linda was ready for something like this.  
  
Everyone hushed as Principal Turner - a middle-aged, balding man in a brown suit walked to the center of the gym, a microphone and clipboard in his hands. "Welcome back, Crows!" he yelled. Everyone got to their feet, shouting and clapping, waving banners and signs. "Now, I know we started sign up for mascot tryouts a bit late, but I don't think that will be a problem. We are, of course, looking for the best person to represent Smallville High for the 2013-2014 school year, so as it has been in past years, the candidates today will perform their routines anonymously to prevent bias. That being said, let's get this ball rolling!"  
  
The audience cheered as Principal Turner walked to the sidelines. Everyone continued cheering as the first candidate - dressed in the crow costume - came running out to the middle of the gym and started their routine. Clark discreetly lowered his glasses, but before he could switch to X-ray vision Jonathan reached behind his wife and put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"You promised Linda you wouldn't do that, Clark," Jonathan said quietly. "She doesn't want us knowing which one she is until after this is over, and we need to respect that." Clark sighed and pushed his glasses back up his nose before he pushed the record button on the camcorder and watched the routine through the viewfinder.   
  
The first candidate was very good and really hammed it up with the audience. It brought some of the students down and danced with them, sat between Jonathan and Martha and pulled the old yawn and arm stretch routine with Martha before giving her a peck on the cheek. Then the candidate pulled out some homemade thought cloud signs saying various things; the candidate put a sign that said 'Rebel Without a Cause' above Principal Turner's head. The audience roared, and even Turner started laughing. The candidate then took another sign and kept it hidden as it made its way to the football team. It picked Number 21, a real tall and husky player, and put the sign above his head. The audience roared with laughter when they saw the sign read 'I love cute little pink bunnies.' The candidate went back to the center of the gym and did a few more few funny skits and dances, then finished off with turning its back to the audience and shaking its tail feathers. The audience cheered as the crow left.  
  
A few moments passed, and the second candidate came out and started their routine by stomping and clapping and getting the audience to stomp and clap in rhythm. Then the candidate rallied the audience with large signs reading 'GO CROWS' and 'MAKE SOME NOISE.' Then some music started from the sound system, and the candidate started a vigorous dance routine, including difficult somersaults and back flips. When the routine was over, the audience was on their feet, cheering and clapping.  
  
"Well, that had cheerleader written all over it," Clark replied wryly.  
  
Jonathan and Martha ignored him as they continued clapping, even though they agreed with their son. The audience sat down as the third candidate walked out - and promptly tripped over their own feet. There were some snickers and giggles in the audience, and Clark glanced over at his parents, worried. They watched as the candidate started its routine, but it was clear soon into the routine that the candidate would not be chosen, the problem not from the routine itself but from the fact that the candidate was having issues with the suit and kept tripping over its own feet. After a few moments the mascot candidate bolted from the gym, and there were smatterings of applause - more out of courtesy than anything else.  
  
"Please don't let that have been Linda," Martha whispered. She hated the thought of her daughter being humiliated like that. She saw Clark and Jon's expressions, and she knew they were feeling the exact same way as the fourth candidate came out. The candidate walked out to the middle of the gym as Bloodhound Gang's 'Along Came Mary' started on the sound system. The candidate started doing a pretty good dance when the lyrics began, and then when the chorus started up, the candidate suddenly turned its back on the audience - and proceeded to drop its pants and moon everyone.  
  
The majority of the students started howling with laughter, but the parents and adults were not so easily amused. Jonathan and Martha' eyes nearly popped out of their heads, and Jonathan swiftly covered his wife's eyes with his hand, and he leaned over and tried cover Clark's, even has his son was trying hard not to snicker.  
  
"Clark, turn that thing off," Jonathan ordered as Turner marched out to meet the 'bare-it-all' crow. Clark followed his father's request, and tried not to show that he was having a hard time keeping his laughter in. The principal yanked the candidate away as Jefferson hurried out, the microphone in her hands.  
  
"We apologize for this incident," she said. "This concludes the tryout portion today, and rest assured that this candidate will *not* be on the ballot during the voting period." She hurried off, and the audience simmered down to a quiet buzz.  
  
"Well, I think we can safely say that that's not Linda," Martha said.  
  
"Are you sure about that, Mom?" Clark asked.  
  
"Clark, I know my daughter's tush," Martha replied, "and that was not my daughter's tush."  
  
Clark and Jonathan shared a look, then the three Kents just sat there, waiting. After about ten minutes, Turner walked out into the middle of the gym, microphone in hand. The audience quieted down, and Clark started recording again.  
  
"Again, we're sorry about what happened with our last candidate," he said, "but don't worry, the matter is being taken care of. Now, all the candidates have given their performances, and it's time for you to choose the best candidate - based on performance - to be this year's school mascot. Voting will be done by applause, and the candidate with the loudest applause will win. If you liked Candidate Number One's performance, show your support now." The audience clapped and stomped their feet, hooting and hollering; the noise was deafening, and it lasted almost ten seconds. "Okay, for those who liked Candidate Number Two." Again the audience showed their support, clapping and stomping; the noise was loud, but not as loud as the first one, but it died after only seven seconds. "And finally, those who liked Candidate Three, vote now." There were smatterings of courtesy applauses lasting only two seconds.  
  
"Well, democracy as proven itself once again," Turner said. He looked off stage, like he was waiting for something; he nodded after a few moments and smiled as he turned back to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Smallville's High mascot for the 2013/2014 school year - Candidate Number One!"  
  
The winning candidate came skittering out in full crow costume as the audience cheered and whooped. The candidate stopped in the middle of the gym and bowed to the audience then started performing a bunch of dances as music - clean music - played from the sound system. For a full minute, the candidate hammed it up with the audience, getting high fives from the people in the front row, dancing with a few of the football players, and tried to kiss Turner, but he stopped that quickly and led the candidate (by a wing) to the middle of the gym as the music stopped.  
  
"And now," Turner said, "it's time to meet your high school mascot." He stepped aside as the candidate reached up and took off its head piece.  
  
(End of Chapter 21) 


	22. Chapter 22

- - - -  
  
Clark's eyebrows shot off his head as he looked through the viewfinder. He looked over at his parents, and both of them looked as shocked as he knew he was. It didn't last long, and the three Kents broke into cheers, clapping and whistling along with the rest of the audience.  
  
Linda smiled shyly as she shifted on her crow feet and pushed her glasses up on her nose. Looking up at the audience, the couldn't believe she had actually won. She didn't think her routine was that good, even with all the hard work Mattie and Andy put in to helping her, but she was glad the audience hadn't made fun of her.  
  
"Students of Smallville High," Turner said as he walked over to Linda's side, "parents, teachers, say hello to Linda Kent." He put the microphone in Linda's face. "Say a few words, Linda."  
  
The audience chanted, "Speech, speech, speech!" Linda's eyes widened. No one said anything about her giving a speech. She glanced at her family, worried, and they just smiled and nodded, silently encouraging. Linda took a deep breath.  
  
"Um, thank you for voting for me," she said shyly into the microphone. "I'll do my best at representing the school." She paused, then grinned and held up a wing-covered arm. "Go Crows!!!!"  
  
The audience cheered as she smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Turner dismissed the students, and everyone poured out of the bleachers. A lot of students converged on Linda, congratulating her and patting on the back. The Kents slowly made their way out of the stands and stayed near them, watching Linda from a distance as Clark kept the camcorder recording.  
  
Linda was trying not to be overwhelmed by everything, and she looked over her shoulder. She saw her family standing near the bleachers, and she smiled as she politely excused herself and carefully made her way out of the crowd of students, making sure not to hurt anyone. She walked over to her family, and all but threw herself at her parents, hugging them around their waists, not caring that she was still in costume or that other people were watching.  
  
"I won," she whispered as they hugged her back. She looked up at them, smiling. "I actually won."  
  
"Yes, you did," Martha smiled, brushing loose strands from her daughter's face. "And we are so proud of you."  
  
"And it's not because you won," Jonathan added. Linda looked confused. "You put your mind to something and followed through with it." He knelt down to be at her eye level. "And that's what we're proud of, sweetie."   
  
Linda beamed and looked at Clark. "And you didn't peek, did you?"  
  
"No, I promise," Clark replied. He held up the camera, still recording. "Okay, Linda, you have just become the new mascot for Smallville High School. What are you going to do next?"  
  
"Change out of this costume, and get it washed," Linda replied, completely missing the joke.  
  
Clark chuckled as he turned off the camera. "Okay, missy, since you're the new crow, you have to learn how to fly." Linda's eyes widened in shock, and she looked at her parents. They were giving Clark a look as well, but Clark calmly turned off the camcorder, handed it to his father, and then took Linda's crow head from his cousin's hands. He plopped it on Linda's head, then he scooped her up - and then he tossed her five feet into the air. Linda squealed loudly as she went flying up and came down, landing securely in her cousin's arms.  
  
"Drat, that didn't work," Clark said, smiling as he tried to sound upset. He tossed her up, and then he caught her again. "Still didn't work." He launched her into the air once more and caught her. "Well, that's a first . . . ." He pretended to look confused. "A crow that can't fly . . . ."  
  
Linda giggled as she took off her crow head and looked at her cousin. "You're silly, you know that?"  
  
Clark grinned. "Yep, I know," he replied. He kissed her nose. "Congratulations, Short Stack."   
  
Linda smiled and hugged her cousin around the neck tightly. "Don't call me Short Stack," she whispered as he gently set her down. Clark ruffled his cousin's hair, and she glanced over as Wally and Cutter came over. "Hi, guys!"  
  
"Hey, Linda," Wally said. "Congrats on winning."  
  
"Yeah, that a great performance," Cutter added. He nodded at Jonathan and Martha. "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, it's nice to see you both again."  
  
"It's nice to see you too," Jonathan replied. He nodded at Clark. "This is our son, Clark."  
  
Cutter and Wally's eyes nearly bugged out as they stared up at the reporter, their mouths open. Clark smiled and nodded as the teens just stared at him, not saying a word. Linda rolled her eyes, knowing why her friends were acting so silly.  
  
"So, what's up, guys?" the young girl asked.  
  
"Uh," Cutter replied, shaking from his stupor, "well, we wanted to know if we could get an interview with you."  
  
"Two, actually," Wally added.  
  
"Two?" Linda asked.  
  
"Yeah, one for the mascot story," Cutter answered, "and we need another eyewitness account from your time in the tunnel."  
  
"Yeah, and anything you can tell us about those glowing rocks everyone saw," Wally said.  
  
Linda glanced at her parents and Clark. They looked like they were racking their brains, trying to come up with an excuse. Linda turned to her friends, smiling.  
  
"Guys, I would love to discuss everything with you right now," the young girl said, "but I need to get cleaned up, and I want to spend some time with my family before they leave."  
  
"Alright," Cutter said, nodded. "We'll talk later, okay?" Linda nodded and watched her friends leave. She turned to her family.  
  
"Nice save," Clark said.  
  
"I'm learning," Linda replied.  
  
"So, tell us more about these glowing rocks," Jonathan said, folding his arms around his chest. "They weren't green by any chance, were they?"  
  
"No, they were quartz rocks," Linda answered.  
  
"Yeah, but quartz doesn't glow," Martha said.  
  
"It does when Linda uses her heat vision to refract light through the crystals," Clark muttered. "The question I have is how did you manage to keep the light in there?"  
  
Linda looked around, making sure no one was in earshot. "Well," she said, "I kinda used my telekinesis to trap the light particles." The three older Kents' eyes nearly bulged out of their heads.  
  
"You can trap light telekinetically?" Clark asked.  
  
"It's not something I want to do all the time," Linda replied, "but yeah, I can."  
  
"Well, that would explain why you were so exhausted," Martha replied. "You split your power, and there was no way to recharge because of the lack of sunlight."  
  
"Did anyone see you use your heat vision, Linda?" Jonathan asked.  
  
Linda shook her head. "No, I shielded myself to make sure they didn't see anything." She looked worried. "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
"No, sweetie, you didn't," Jonathan replied, his voice calmer, "but we do need to have a talk later on about being careful with your powers."  
  
"I was careful," Linda replied. "No one saw me."  
  
"But they did see the glowing quartz rocks," Martha said. "They might start asking questions, and the last thing we want is for you to be on anyone's radar again."  
  
"Now, you need to get cleaned up and get to class," Jonathan replied as he put a hand on Linda's shoulder. "We'll see you after school?"  
  
Linda nodded. "What should I say about the quartz rocks if Cutter and Wally ask me about them again?"  
  
"Just tell them you don't know anything," Clark replied. "Worked for me when I was your age." Martha and Jonathan rolled their eyes before turning to their daughter.  
  
"Just use common sense," Jonathan said. "And don't answer their questions until we've had a chance to talk, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Linda replied. She hugged everyone, then grabbed her crow head and scurried off to go change. The three Kents watched her with smiles on their faces then headed for the exit.  
  
(End of Chapter 22) 


	23. Chapter 23

- - - -  
  
The next morning, after doing her chores, Linda reported to Smallville High to begin her detention. Jonathan and Martha had accompanied her and talked with Principal Turner about giving Linda another form of punishment. After some discussion Turner and the Kents came to an agreement: Linda would clean the bathrooms in the high school. Linda wasn't thrilled, but she knew it had to be better than being in detention. Turner showed her the Janitor's closet and left her to get to work. After he was gone Jonathan and Martha set some ground rules - mainly about not using any of her powers to get the job done. She promised not to, and the Kents left, agreeing to pick her up after she was finished.   
  
The young girl decided to start with the first floor and work her way up, and she grabbed her supplies - a cleaning kit, mop, and bucket - and headed off. Her first stop was the girl's bathroom on the first floor of Smallville High. She sighed as she put the bucket down and got to work. First, she took out some paper towels and glass cleaner and cleaned the mirrors free of lipstick. Why the girls insisted on kissing the mirrors, Linda couldn't fathom; she couldn't fathom lipstick to begin with either. The young girl growled as the lipstick smeared but didn't come off. She rubbed more, but it only smeared it more. She put away her towels and cleaner and took out the toilet bowl cleaner. Martha had always told her that if she scrubbed the toilet really hard with the bristles, they would take anything out. Linda dipped the brush in one of the toilet bowls, walked over to the mirrors, and scrubbed as hard as she dared. She smiled when the lipsticks smears disappeared. After she was finished, she wiped the mirrors free of water.  
  
"Hard at work, I see."  
  
Linda turned around and saw Lex standing just inside the door of the bathroom. The young girl was startled, but she smiled. "Hi, Mr. Luthor," she replied. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Nothing," Lex replied. "I just heard about your involvement in the crisis earlier this week, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."  
  
"I'm fine," Linda said. "See? Me - fine. Thanks for the concern, though." She grabbed a sponge and started scrubbing the sink faucets.  
  
"So, why aren't you in detention?" Lex asked.  
  
Linda stopped and looked slowly at the businessman. "How did you know I'd be in detention?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "You skipped school, Linda. It doesn't take a genius to figure out you'd be punished."  
  
Linda nodded. "So, why are you in Smallville in the first place?" Linda asked. "You still following that 'mysterious fallen object' lead?"  
  
Lex chuckled. "Actually, I've put that to rest," he replied. "It was nothing more than a piece of a military satellite. No, I'm here, because of those glowing rocks I've been hearing that you and the others saw in the tunnel while you were trapped there."  
  
"They were just quartz rocks," Linda replied. "Nothing special about them."  
  
"They were glowing, Linda," Lex said. "That is special." He walked over to the young girl. "Can you tell me anything about what you saw?"   
  
Linda shrugged. "I just saw what everyone else saw, Mr. Luthor," she replied as she cleaned the sinks. "To be honest, I was concentrating more on trying to stay above the water, not worried about why some rocks were glowing."  
  
"So, you weren't at all curious about them?" Lex pressed.  
  
"Well, I was a little curious, but to be honest they did light up the area so we could see in there." The young girl shrugged. "I know it sounds weird, but some things I just don't question." She looked up at the businessman. "May I ask why you're so interested in them, Mr. Luthor?"  
  
It was Lex's turn to shrug. "Just natural curiosity, Linda. When I was younger, there were lots of unexplained phenomena in Smallville, some linked to the meteor shower, some not. I've always been fascinated by those phenomena, and I just want to see if those rocks were one of those linked to the meteor rocks."  
  
Linda shrugged. "Sorry, Mr. Luthor," she replied. "I'm the wrong person to be looking to for answers dealing with the meteor shower. I wasn't even born when it happened." She smiled politely. "I'm sorry to be rude, but I do need to go back to cleaning. I have to do all the bathrooms in the school."  
  
Lex nodded. "Alright," he replied. "Do you need me to stay and give you a lift when you're done?"  
  
"No thank you, Mr. Luthor," Linda replied. "My parents said to call them when I was ready, and I think I better stay on their good side for a while."  
  
Lex smiled and nodded, understanding. "You know, you can call me Lex, Linda."  
  
"I can't do that," Linda replied, going back to her work.  
  
"And why not?" Lex asked, amused.  
  
"Because Mom and Dad told me I need to respect my elders," Linda replied.   
  
Lex nodded, trying not to feel offended. "Well, have fun cleaning," he said. "I'll see you around." He left the bathroom, leaving Linda alone.  
  
The young girl used her X-ray vision and watched Lex leave. She was tempted to use her telepathy and find out what he was really up to, but she wasn't sure if her parents would be too happy about that, even though it would be towards Lex. Linda sighed and pushed all thoughts of Lex and everything else as she went back to her cleaning.  
  
- - - -  
  
"What did you tell him?" Jonathan asked as he drove the blue pickup truck down through Pleasant Meadows.  
  
"I told him I didn't know anything," Linda answered. She sat between the passenger door and her mother. She looked worried. "He mentioned other phenomena that were linked to the meteor shower, especially the meteor rocks. What did he mean by that?" Martha and Jonathan glanced at each other, and Jonathan nodded. Martha looked back at her daughter.  
  
"Linda," Martha replied, "when the meteors landed in Smallville, they affected some of the people who lived here."  
  
"How?" Linda asked.  
  
"Their radiation gave people different powers and abilities," Jonathan replied.  
  
"Did Lex get any powers?" Linda asked. "He was affected by the meteor shower; that's how he said he lost his hair."  
  
"Well, he did lose his hair," Martha replied, "and his white blood cell count was elevated. He hadn't gotten sick since the day of the meteor shower."  
  
Linda furrowed her eyebrows. "That's a power?"  
  
"Well, it was a mutation of sorts," Martha answered.  
  
"What about the others?" Linda asked.  
  
"Well, it actually depended on the person," Jonathan replied. He sighed. "Linda, it's not something we like talking about, but if you're really curious about that, then the best person to talk to is Chloe. She really liked researching that stuff when she was younger." He slowed the truck and stopped beside the curb. "Well, here we are."   
  
Linda looked out the window and grinned. They were parked outside the Malverne's house. It was the young girl's first time there, but she didn't feel a single bit of apprehension as she looked at her friend's home. The light-blue two-story suburban home looked almost like her home, with white trim and shutters, but it didn't have a wrap-around porch. It did have a beautiful landscape, with fall foliage growing in the beds and lining the walk leading to the front door.  
  
"Don't be too long," Jonathan said and Linda opened the door and climbed out.  
  
"I won't," Linda replied. She shut the door and walked up to the front door. The young girl rang the door bell and listened to the soft chimes. A few moments later the door opened by Grey Malverne. He smiled at his son's friend.  
  
"Hi, Linda," he said warmly.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Malverne," Linda replied. "Is Dick here?"  
  
"He's upstairs in his room, resting," Grey replied, "but you're more than welcome to go see him." He stood aside and let the teenager in before closing the door. "Just follow me." He led the girl up the stairs and down the hall to the end, to a closed bedroom door with a huge black and white poster of the Beatles from the album cover 'Help.' She tilted her head.  
  
"The Beatles?" she asked. She turned to Grey. "Who are they?"  
  
"Were, actually," Grey corrected the young girl. "They were a band from the 1960s, before even I was born. Very popular. Dick likes their music." He knocked on the bedroom door. "Dick? You up for a visitor?"  
  
"Sure," Dick replied from the other side of the door. Grey opened the door and walked in with Linda behind him. Dick immediately noticed his friend, and he was visibly surprised. "Uh, Linda, hi."  
  
"Hi, Dick," Linda smiled.  
  
"Well, I'll leave you kids alone," Grey replied, smiling. "Holler if you need anything." He left, closing the door behind him.  
  
Linda looked at her friend, laying above the covers, dressed in a loose t-shirt, sweatpants, and fuzzy socks. He looked alert, but Linda could see his face was a little paler than she remembered. She tilted her head slightly. "You feeling okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm good," Dick replied.  
  
"I haven't seen since the accident," Linda said.   
  
"Oh, just caught a cold from being in that water," Dick replied, shrugging. He pointed to his desk chair. "Take a load off." Linda hesitated, but she grabbed the desk chair and brought it over, sitting down. "So, uh, Cutter stopped by after school yesterday and said you got the mascot position. Congratulations."  
  
"Thanks," Linda replied. "Though I honestly don't know how I got it."  
  
"Probably because you were the best one trying out," Dick replied, smiling. Linda blushed, and Dick tried not grinning too much. He cleared his throat, and his grin faded. "Uh, look, I didn't get a chance to apologize for what happened on Tuesday."  
  
"What do you mean?" Linda asked. "You think the cave in was your fault?"  
  
"It was my fault you were there," Dick answered. "I should have stopped you from coming."  
  
"Dick, I'm very stubborn," Linda replied, "and as I recall, I basically talked you into letting me come, even though I kinda knew it was wrong." She sighed. "And to be honest, none of us should have been there - including you." Dick looked a little guilty, and Linda sighed. "Look, Dick, we can't go back in time and change the past, but we can learn from it."  
  
"What did you learn?" Dick asked.  
  
"I learned that toilet bowl water gets lipstick smears off the mirrors in the girls' bathrooms," Linda replied. Dick looked confused. "My punishment instead of detention was to clean all the restrooms at school." Dick suddenly howled with laughter. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing," Dick replied, his face red from laughter. "Just, uh, you just might want to tell Mattie and Andy - before Monday." Linda rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Seriously, did you learn anything?"  
  
"Yeah, that's it's not good to get my family upset and worried," Linda replied. "It's weird, really. They get all mad at me for being in danger, but they get more worried than anything."  
  
"Yeah, I hear you on that one," Dick replied. He looked amused. "What, your parents - your biological parents - weren't like that?" Linda was a little thrown off by the question, and she hesitated. Dick looked apologetic. "Sorry, Linda."  
  
"Oh, it's okay," Linda replied. "What did you learn?"  
  
"Not to be impressed by a tall basketball player's reputation," Dick replied wryly. He glanced at Linda cautiously. "So, uh, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure," Linda replied.  
  
"If I step over the line, just tell me to shut up, but I was wondering why you call your aunt and uncle Mom and Dad."  
  
Linda so badly wanted to tell Dick the truth, about everything, but she knew she couldn't. She hated lying, but she knew she couldn't tell him. Thankfully, she knew she didn't have to lie about this. "Because it just feels natural," she replied. "They're my family, and they treat me like I was their biological daughter." She shrugged. "They're like parents to me, and that's pretty much it." She noticed Dick starting to doze off a little. "And you need to get some rest, it looks like."  
  
Dick shrugged and yawned. "Thanks for stopping by," he said softly. "It meant a lot."  
  
Linda smiled as she got to her feet. "No problem," she replied. She carried the chair back to its place. "I'll send your father up." Dick nodded and yawned again as he leaned back against the pillows. Linda quietly left the bedroom, softly closing the door behind her. She made her way downstairs as Grey headed into the foyer from the living room. "Dick was getting tired again."  
  
Grey nodded. "Thank you for telling me, Linda." He smiled. "And thank you for stopping by."  
  
"My pleasure, Mr. Malverne," Linda replied. Grey let her out, and she headed down the walk back to the truck. She got in next to her mother as Jonathan started the engine. In a few moments the truck was heading off down the street.  
  
"So, how is Dick?" Martha asked.  
  
"He's got a cold," Linda replied. "But I think he's going to be okay." She suddenly leaned over and hugged her mother. "Thank you."  
  
"For what?" Martha asked, a bit surprised.  
  
"For everything," Linda replied. "For being my parents."  
  
Martha was visibly touched, blinking back tears as she hugged her daughter back. "Thank you for letting us be a part of your life, sweetie." Linda smiled and stayed glued to her mother as Martha glanced over at her husband. They shared a private smile that only parents understood, and not another word was said as Jonathan drove his family back to their home.  
  
THE END 


End file.
